How do I add carers element to universal credit?

[PinkPolkaDotUmberella]

Got an existing UC, dh works full time earning 67K a year, we have 2 dc and rent from a HA, we get roughly £650pcm UC. I’ve been caring full time for my mil for a few years and recently found out from the district nurse that as mil gets PIP at the highest rate I am entitled to claim carers element from UC. How would I go about claiming this element? Mil doesn’t live with us but I care for her 7 days per week and over the minimum 35 hours a week.

This! How can you care full time for two people in two different homes?!

but sure, why not play the system for all it’s worth, everyone’s doing it so may as well hey?!

this is why my net tax contributor husband wants us to leave the UK, why is he working 80 hours a week to pay your rent?!

Absolutely shameful!

This has to be rage bait?

@SimplyBedeviled easily I take my child with me, fortunately for her she’s not locked in the cupboard under the stairs all day like Harry Potter. Another stupid comment!

It's the system that's the issue not the OP here. Stop having a go. OP is obviously having a tough time as it is raising a disabled DC.

I am starting to doubt that this is true because if it is something is seriously wrong with the benefits system. OP has many people on here fuming and I'm one of them. I'm off to apply for UC now just incase I'm missing out on a few grand a month (no kids probably means I'm not).

I have similar circumstances, except both dh and I work full time so the income is joint. 3 dc, one disabled, social rent, and we receive a similar amount in UC so I very much believe it’s true.
I find it ridiculous that we are poor enough that we need such a significant top-up, and my dc will be getting FSM from September, but also when my eldest leaves school and goes to uni - we’d be rich enough that he’d only be eligible for the minimum maintenance loan and we’d be expected to support him ourselves. Like which are we? Too poor or too rich? So yes, I agree, the whole system is fucked. But don’t blame it on the genuine claimants here who are just trying to do their best for their families.

The amounts/ calculation is correct and op will be getting an additional £400+ added to the claim by saying they are both carers for 35+ hours a week so over 1k in UC and then DLA on top. so possibly £1500 per month in benefits plus the free school meals etc from Sept. I have no idea why op did not just google how to add the carers element as there is plenty of information online about this or could have asked via her journal.
I don't begrudge people getting help when they have a disabled child but in this case most of the UC is for three kids and the rent. I guess they don't have the long term security of owning their own home.
What I find difficult to comprehend is how some people get so much help in UC and others such as the poster above are expected to survive on £92 a week when they suddenly have the misfortune of becoming ill, getting cancer or having an accident. There is just such a massive gulf between the help available to some and not to others. This is what needs addressing. In my job I give benefits advice for older people and the Uc for a mixed age couple ( where one is over state pension age and one under) can be miniscule. These are often people who lose their jobs in their sixties and cannot get another but have likely worked all their lives up to that point. Many are surviving on one state pension and maybe a tiny bit of UC. They can't even heat their homes properly. Then you have families on 67K getting £1500 a month in benefits. It just doesn't make sense to me.

Genuine question, how do the UC people know that you are actually a carer and/or how many hours you say you are doing this for is correct? Surely everyone would exaggerate to get more money and it would be pretty impossible to prove otherwise.

I’m starting to doubt it’s true because of all the contradictions.

Two children, or three?
OP says she had to give up work when her disabled (?third) child) was born
She then says in another post she had to give up work to care for her MIL, so which is it?
She says in one post she is wanting to claim carer’s element for herself, then changes it to her DH. Presumably so they can both claim.

Either all made up or if not, what a load of bunkum. Surprised DWP don’t see straight through it.

No checks are ever made. It is generally assumed that if the cared for person is disabled enough to qualify for the disability benefit ( PIP, Attendance Allowance or DLA ), that they need 35 hours of care. Obviously many people especially those of severely disabled children do way in excess of 35 hours .

I honestly think it was posted to wind people up. The situation may be real but there is so much information on the internet about how to add carers element or op could have asked on the journal. Also when you make a UC claim you are explicitly asked if you are a carer so assuming op's child has been disabled since the start of the claim why on earth was she not already down as a carer in which case she would already have had the carer element on the claim? Nothing quite adds up here. Just a post to get people riled up which it clearly has achieved !

So you can't claim to be a carer for someone who doesn't claim anything at all?

The cared for person has to be in receipt of a disability benefit so DLA for children, PIP for adults and some pensioners, Attendance Allowance for pensioners. If a person is in receipt of one of these disability benefits then another person can claim carers allowance and/ or UC carers element for caring for them. Carers allowance has an earnings threshold wheras carers element has no earnings threshold so whilst op's husband is doing his 67k job if he is still caring for his mother for an additional 35 hours he can still get the extra UC carers element of £200 + added on to their UC claim. Op is going to claim for their disabled child, husband for his mum.

Yes it’s certainly had the desired effect hasn’t it. Going to ignore from now on for the sake of my blood pressure!

People will claim what they can I guess. Blame the system which allows it. things really need to change.

The real shameful thing is a government which changes the rules to mean that kids from families on 67K a year plus £1500 UC a month so really 85k can get FSM's. !! Sorry can't quite get my head around what I'm writing !

@Penelope23145 I am honestly not trying to wind people up, yes my 3rd child was born premature and has disabilities. No I was not receiving disability benefits for when I started my UC claim because she didn’t meet the criteria of having the disability for at least 16 weeks as she wasn’t even 16 weeks old and secondly when they are under 3 you can’t claim certain parts of DLA as all small children need care and supervision.

And no my school age kids have never had free school meals past the Universal Free School Meals that every single key stage 1 child in the UK gets.

Yeah, I spotted that, handy.

I assumed the carers' funding was meant to be a contribution towards the cost of giving up work to provide care, which isn't the case if the DH can do both?

Did you not give up work to care for your MiL as you indicated earlier OP?

This is all made up anyway obvs.

@Barrenfieldoffucks if you go back and actually read my post it clearly states I gave up work when my 3rd child was born with a disability. It is other people like yourself that are changing what I wrote.

Yes I care for my child and my other two non disabled children AND look after my mil along side dh it’s a 24/7 job. Maybe to keep the haters happy we should put her in a NHS Hospice which we cost “you” a lot bloody more than £200 a month.

I really can’t understand why anyone would be jealous because I don’t get any sort of fucking break, I am running on fumes constantly.

Oh and my dh pays £278 National Insurance and £1075 Income Tax a month but yes we are low life benefit cheats not contributing to the system.

Ignore these ignorant people. I have disabled children to care for, it is relentless💐

I think many were curious about how your household salary allows a UC claim eligibility. But now it is clear, people can see it's not your fault it's the system at fault.

I feel sad for the poster who is terminally ill struggling on with £92 and no other means of support. That's where anger should be directed. This is shocking.