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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think Carer's Allowance is a fucking disgrace?

339 replies

BoobsOnTheMoon · 27/06/2023 09:03

Not only is it an absolute pittance of £76 a week considering you need to be providing care to a disabled person for at least 35 hours a week to claim it in the first place.

BUT you also can't claim if you earn more than £139 a week.

AND if you claim low income benefits (ie UC), the Carer's Allowance is counted as income and taken off your entitlement £ for £.

It's just so insulting. People giving up their lives and careers to care for a disabled family member deserve better than this.

(Just feeling a bit down about the fact I will probably be poor until I die, even if my disabled child manages to leave home one day I'll be at least 50 by then with no prospects for earning decent money or building any sort of security for my own old age)

OP posts:
starlight2023 · 27/06/2023 09:09

I agree it's a very poor amount. I was looking into this last week as it's looking likely I will have to give up work to become a full time carer pretty soon. The drop will be huge.

HerbsandSpices · 27/06/2023 09:09

I don't qualify for it but am a full time carer. I can't work more than half a day a week but I also have to acknowledge that I have made a choice to do the care myself. I could get the government to provide the care with paid carers if I wasn't willing to do it. It would be nice to get something since I'm giving up income and saving them so much money, but that's not how it is. I still make the choice to care though as I want to do it myself.

Havingtofight · 27/06/2023 09:10

Yep, and I have more then one child who would qualify for me to have carers allowance.
I can only imagine how much it would cost the government if I just stopped (I would never though).

Original poster
BoobsOnTheMoon · 27/06/2023 09:15

HerbsandSpices · 27/06/2023 09:09

I don't qualify for it but am a full time carer. I can't work more than half a day a week but I also have to acknowledge that I have made a choice to do the care myself. I could get the government to provide the care with paid carers if I wasn't willing to do it. It would be nice to get something since I'm giving up income and saving them so much money, but that's not how it is. I still make the choice to care though as I want to do it myself.

Why don't you qualify for it, if you don't mind me asking? I'd have thought on only a half days earnings per week plus providing full time care, you would be eligible, unless the person you care for doesn't get a qualifying benefit (or your half day is extremely well paid).

OP posts:
Alltheclogs · 27/06/2023 09:15

Havingtofight · 27/06/2023 09:10

Yep, and I have more then one child who would qualify for me to have carers allowance.
I can only imagine how much it would cost the government if I just stopped (I would never though).

Yes, you can only get it once, no matter how many eligible disabled people you care for.

And you can’t get it if you are a student, even if you are doing entirely distance learning and still in the home caring 24/7.

It’s an absolute disgrace.

HerbsandSpices · 27/06/2023 09:15

BoobsOnTheMoon · 27/06/2023 09:15

Why don't you qualify for it, if you don't mind me asking? I'd have thought on only a half days earnings per week plus providing full time care, you would be eligible, unless the person you care for doesn't get a qualifying benefit (or your half day is extremely well paid).

Show quote history

Income.

Original poster
BoobsOnTheMoon · 27/06/2023 09:16

Havingtofight · 27/06/2023 09:10

Yep, and I have more then one child who would qualify for me to have carers allowance.
I can only imagine how much it would cost the government if I just stopped (I would never though).

Oh yes that too. Even if you care for more than one person, you still only get £76 a week (and again that's often a nominal figure as if you claim income related benefits you don't actually see a penny of the carers allowance anyway!).

OP posts:
vivainsomnia · 27/06/2023 09:18

Carer allowance need to complete overall. Too many people claiming it just because someone in their family claims PIP when they actually provide no more care than one would normally give to a loved one.

Increasing the amount significantly for those who genuinely provide 35h + hour care to someone who cannot live day to day without that level of care.

ThunderStormPlease · 27/06/2023 09:19

Yep I care for two children with disabilities so that's a whopping £36 per person I care for a week.
That's administrating 6-7 daily injections which I've had to call infection control over for stabbing myself a few times by accident, that's administrating multiple medications, that's getting my head kicked in when my DC has a meltdown, that's living off 2-3 hours of sleep a night for the past 12 years.
Wouldn't even buy me a McDonald's these days! Angry
It's a disgrace. So many petitions over the years to get it put up to minimum wage, but the government won't back down. They don't care long as they don't have to fork out for the care themselves.

Cadburysucks · 27/06/2023 09:20

Seems like being punished for having disabled kids. I could only claim one carers allowance whilst looking after 2 severely disabled children. Looking after them completely skewed any chance of a career, as I was so worn out and have health problems myself. I have a high earning husband though, but without him I would be in poverty.

Alltheclogs · 27/06/2023 09:21

vivainsomnia · 27/06/2023 09:18

Carer allowance need to complete overall. Too many people claiming it just because someone in their family claims PIP when they actually provide no more care than one would normally give to a loved one.

Increasing the amount significantly for those who genuinely provide 35h + hour care to someone who cannot live day to day without that level of care.

Just because you get pip doesn’t mean someone is entitled to carers allowance for you… we have 2 with pip and one with dla in this house- but only one person eligible to have someone claim carers allowance.

AmenAmin · 27/06/2023 09:21

I would earn about £150 a week. I have to give up work so I don’t loose money. It’s a stupid trap. I do a few evenings online, I still care all day every day (no school place)

cooshin · 27/06/2023 09:23

Just because you get pip doesn’t mean someone is entitled to carers allowance for you…

It does though?

we have 2 with pip and one with dla in this house- but only one person eligible to have someone claim carers allowance.

That's not the case? Are you mixed up with only being able to claim carers for one person?

HerbsandSpices · 27/06/2023 09:23

AmenAmin · 27/06/2023 09:21

I would earn about £150 a week. I have to give up work so I don’t loose money. It’s a stupid trap. I do a few evenings online, I still care all day every day (no school place)

Yes, I care all day, every day too. I work a few hours in the evening occasionally just to keep myself in some form of work. I do recognise how fortunate I am to be able to make this choice. If I couldn't I'd just have to have the government services step up and it would be on the tax payer.

Viviennemary · 27/06/2023 09:24

I think the system needs to be overhauled as to the level of care needed and provided. Some folk seem to claim it for a couple of hours a week and others are providing round the clock care.

ThunderStormPlease · 27/06/2023 09:24

Just because you get pip doesn’t mean someone is entitled to carers allowance for you…

Yes they are, long as they get the daily living part of PIP. Another person can claim carers allowance for them. The whole point of PIP/DLA is that you have care needs above and beyond the average person. So no they aren't just doing a normal family caring thing. They are caring above and beyond.

ErmWhatever · 27/06/2023 09:24

Absolutely baffled that anyone could think you're being unreasonable. It's an absolute disgrace.

Original poster
BoobsOnTheMoon · 27/06/2023 09:25

vivainsomnia · 27/06/2023 09:18

Carer allowance need to complete overall. Too many people claiming it just because someone in their family claims PIP when they actually provide no more care than one would normally give to a loved one.

Increasing the amount significantly for those who genuinely provide 35h + hour care to someone who cannot live day to day without that level of care.

I think for a lot of parent carers in particular, they're forced into giving up work and claiming CA because other services have been cut to the bone. For example I worked and earned reasonably well until my child became unable to attend school due to the complete inability of mainstream settings to accommodate his needs but the total lack of specialist provision that is becoming a growing problem. Had he been in specialist provision from age 6/7 (which is what I wanted but wasn't available as all either full or closed locally) he would probably have been able to stay in full time education. As it was, he was unable to cope in mainstream, was excluded at least weekly meaning I had to drop everything to go and get him and then stay home with him until the exclusion ended, over and over again until the vicious circle of trauma/violence/restraint became so severe that he couldn't attend at all.

Money invested in more special schools and better earlier help, would keep thousands of parent carers in work and out of poverty!

OP posts:
Sahara123 · 27/06/2023 09:25

As I approach retirement age I’ve discovered that carers allowance stops when you get your state pension. Oh right so my 24 hours a day caring for my adult daughter will somehow magically stop then will it ?!

HowcanIgetoutofthisalive · 27/06/2023 09:25

yeah, my elderly dad (80) is looking after my wheelchair bound Mum (77). His state pension (only income) is enough to disqualify him from Carers Allowance. Just awful that he gets nothing when he cares for her, literally 100% 24/7.

trockodile · 27/06/2023 09:25

And if the person you care for receives Housing Benefit, they lose the severely disabled premium and in our case about £200 per month 🤷‍♀️🤬

ThunderStormPlease · 27/06/2023 09:27

trockodile · 27/06/2023 09:25

And if the person you care for receives Housing Benefit, they lose the severely disabled premium and in our case about £200 per month 🤷‍♀️🤬

Don't forget they loose SPD of £76 a week if on traditional ESA too!

It's one massive con.

HerbsandSpices · 27/06/2023 09:27

BoobsOnTheMoon · 27/06/2023 09:25

I think for a lot of parent carers in particular, they're forced into giving up work and claiming CA because other services have been cut to the bone. For example I worked and earned reasonably well until my child became unable to attend school due to the complete inability of mainstream settings to accommodate his needs but the total lack of specialist provision that is becoming a growing problem. Had he been in specialist provision from age 6/7 (which is what I wanted but wasn't available as all either full or closed locally) he would probably have been able to stay in full time education. As it was, he was unable to cope in mainstream, was excluded at least weekly meaning I had to drop everything to go and get him and then stay home with him until the exclusion ended, over and over again until the vicious circle of trauma/violence/restraint became so severe that he couldn't attend at all.

Money invested in more special schools and better earlier help, would keep thousands of parent carers in work and out of poverty!

Show quote history

It doesn't necessarily stop when they are grown either. Mine is grown and unless I choose to put her in adult day programs or a group home at the expense of the state, it's on me to do it.

Willyoujustbequiet · 27/06/2023 09:28

Who on earth has voted YABU?!

It is an absolute disgrace. Especially that it's counted as income for other benefits. You save the government a fortune by providing care so in many cases you aren't able to work and as a reward they knock it off Universal Credit and leave you with even less.

It's immoral.

moderationincludingmoderation · 27/06/2023 09:28

Couldn't agree more. Absolute disgrace.

As you've all said, if we relied on the care provided by the government.. it would cost them a hell of a lot more.