To think people claiming Carers Allowance shouldn't have it taken off their Universal Credit?

[PermanentIyExhaustedPigeon]

Unpaid carers get £76.75 a week, for a minimum 35 hours of caring a week. Most do many more hours than that, and are usually on call 24/7 for the person (or people) they care for.

They can earn a maximum of £139 a week. Any more than that and their Carers Allowance stops.

A lot of unpaid carers need to claim UC as caring for a minimum of 35 hours a week doesn't leave an awful lot of time for work. UC take CA off their award, as it's an "overlapping benefit". Yes, they can get Carers Element added on their UC, but that's paid at a much lower rate so doesn't make up for what they're losing! I just think it's so outrageously unfair.

I agree with you OP.

I think UC is supposed to be a certain amount because the person has no other income. So reducing it if someone does sounds right.

However carers allowance is incredibly low, shockingly so. And considering what carers save the country, that's foolish.

YANBU.

yanbu

Yes Carer's Allowance should be taken from UC but, it should be paid at a rate that reflects the work that carers are doing!

if it was paid at minimum wage, we wouldnt need uc.

They've changed the system and they've done that to make it fair as you can't get it twice. On the other hand unpaid carers can get the carers element with UC when they're not entitled to claim carers allowance. If you get CA you are a paid carer. Unpaid carers can't claim CA (like me).

YANBU, and anyone who is claiming carers allowance should be paid minimum wage for the 35 hours of care.

Current "system" is a fucking joke.

Carers allowance should not be a taxable benefit and should be more

Exactly! At minimum wage for the hours worked you'd have plenty of money

I'm a carer for my disabled DC and we are about to switch to UC so this will effect us. £76 a week is an absolute insult. Funnily enough, we were eligible for overnight nursing care for DC...their rate of pay was £15ph for doing the exact same as I do for circa £2 an hour 🙄

76.75 and you must be caring for someone for minimum 35 hours for it.
That is £2.19 per hour, which they take off you if you earn more and which is means tested.

Imagine how much carers on ca are saving the country. Governments rely on this so much that you would think they would realise it's actually in the country's best interest to treat carers as workers and pay the living wage.
Just imagine what would happen if every carer phoned social services tomorrow and said you are now responsible for the care of this disabled person. But of course they know full well we'd never do that to the people we care for because we love them. But the government needs us. They will only change if they truly believe it will cost billions not to.

I think it's genuinely one of our countries most shameful practices, paying carers allowance so pitifully. People give up their lives to care for family members, often sharing homes, and save us millions every year, and we can't even pay them minimum wage.
And I dont understand WHY (other than the misogynistic society we live in that means caring work was traditionally women's work and therefore hugely undervalued)

But how does the government justify that amount? What's their official workings out on why that figure? I've done a bit of googling and not got far.

Paid carers do it for a job and get minimum wage (also a disgrace but that's another thread).

CA is literally a benefit for unpaid carers.

Yanbu. It's absolutely outrageous and a national disgrace.

Carers save our country many millions and the entire system would collapse without them.

I agree.

I don’t claim either benefit but it’s absolutely ridiculous it’s reduced like that.

Its ridiculous. Is there any other income that is reduced £for£ on UC?

Maternity Allowance I think?

But generally no, even wages aren't taken £for£. There's a work allowance for some people (those with children or with LCW/LCWRA) and then it tapers at 55p in the £.

Carers just get shat on. Can't work, but also not allowed to benefit from the benefit designed to go some way to replacing that list income.

Yes other benefits like state pension, contributions based ESA and JSA are all taken off pound for pound. Do people understand that on UC you are already getting standard elements , carers elements etc to live off so they aren't going to pay it twice? I'm not sure that people are getting it. Now I thoroughly understand that carers allowance alone is not sufficient to live off and people would only be claiming just that if for example they had an earning partner or savings which ruled them out of also claiming means tested benefits, but many people are being topped up with UC which includes a single or couple standard element and a carers element. so no way would they pay those and carers on top as they are overlapping amounts to live off.

The main purpose of CA is to enable unpaid carers to get their National Insurance contributions covered by the State. (It can also unlock other benefits although my experience is that this is extremely limited.)

I would urge anyone who is an unpaid carer, who is below State Pension Age and whose caring role means they are unable to work to claim it. Do not think that it's not worth claiming for such a paltry sum, it is the NI contributions that really make it worth claiming. Otherwise you may get to retirement and not have enough contributions to get full State Pension.

I think it is also taken off state pension so wasn't worth my elderly DM claiming for the care she gives my more elderly father.

You can't claim both but you do get a carers premium which means you may get some pension credit.

Yes it's an overlapping benefit with state pension so unless someone has a state pension less than the carers allowance amount they cannot be paid it but people over state pension age can still be awarded an underlying entitlement to carers allowance which, if they qualify for means tested benefits like pension credit or housing benefit or council tax support can give them a carers premium on those claims thus increasing those benefits or lifting them into being able to claim them.

Carers Allowance is frankly an insult. Both in the amount it pays and the threshold carers can earn before it is lost. As others have said unpaid carers save the taxpayer an enormous amount of money and should be valued.