Is this a fair divide when it comes to Carer's Allowance?

[SunsetOnTheHorizon]

Mother has four siblings that support her with her daily and weekly tasks including emotional and mental support. We have been supporting ever since I can remember but recently one subling applied for carers allowance as she is now on eligible benefits.

Now, this particular sibling is noticeably more involved in my mom's daily issues. Making and canceling appointments, taking her to them, taking her shopping, walking, and anything else. It also includes daily conversations, helping her with her mental health, and if an emergency occurs - she's the 1st one there. The other 3 siblings also help out but not as much. It's more as and when. Once a week or once a fortnight. But when these other siblings take my mum out - mum ensures they are given petrol money.

Now the other siblings have kicked up a fuss, saying why is sibling 1 getting the whole amount. It needs to be divided up. When this sibling is clearly always doing more, much more.

AIBU in assuming Sibling 1 should share the amount?

The allowance is for the role. A role that includes 35 hours a week time commitment so getting towards full time work hours. It is not for meeting up with your mum and having a nice time. The person doing the caring gets the allowance. The others do not. It is simple.

Only one person can apply for CA. They assume this individual will be the one doing the majority of the caring. You have to do a certain number of hours to qualify for it. Although what constitutes as caring I am sure can well be stretched. I doubt it is monitored much either.

What really should not happen is that the one who is claiming the carers allowance offloads a lot of the caring to another sibling by suggesting to various organisations involved in the parents care that this sibling is getting the CA.

I think anyone involved in the persons care should know who the person getting the CA is and that are the primary and first person to contact. Not one of the other siblings.

Only one person can claim. Similarly if you care for more than one disabled person you can also only claim for one. They don't pay to or for multiple people.

Thats not how carers allowance works.
Its not supposed to be shared, its a payment solely for the person doing 35 hours plus a week.
If the others are doing the same amount of care and have a household income that allows them to claim they will get their own carers allowance if not they are entitled to nothing from the state or the sibling doing most of the care.
Expecting to be paid part of somebody else's carers allowance for visiting once a week or once a fortnight is disgusting behaviour

Just tell them when they step up and take an equal amount of the responsibility then you’ll share the allowance equally too.

I think you misunderstood the poster.
And only one person can claim carers allowance.

And what if other people do step up and do an equal amount of caring. And then some. But get nothing because sibling no1 has claimed Carers allowance ?

They won’t necessarily see a penny of the money going to Sibling no 1. At all.

Don’t assume that other siblings don’t ’step up’. Many do. But only one gets to claim and allowance for it. The others probably didn’t think of even applying for it.

Oh God, families!

To qualify for Carers Allownace a carer does not have to be with the cared for person 35 hours per week. Doing their life admin, being on call for emergencies, speaking on the phone/ messaging also count.

Does your mum get pension credit? If she dies she will lose a lot of money if someone claims CA for her.

Does not dies 🫣 sorry for typo x

Just tell them you're not allowed to share the CA. Only one person who meets the criteria can claim CA - it's not shareable.

I'm sorry your siblings are so greedy.

Sibling 1 shouldn’t have mentioned claiming.

But now that they have, give them options.

1. sibling 1 is fully responsible for mum’s care. The rest can come and go as they wish.
2. all siblings have equal caring responsibilities, weekly hours split equally, and adhered to, then carers allowance split equally.

Let them choose.

Someone is only eligible if they are doing 35+ hours a week of caring. So siblings doing less than that shouldn't be getting any of it

The siblings bickering over this are completely out of order, grabby and selfish.

When my mum died she left a small life insurance policy to cover her funeral and a few thousand left over. My siblings and I signed it over to the sister who did the bulk of the caring. Can't imagine doing it differently.

Could you explain that in more detail please ? I don't understand your post.
Thanks.

There is no way all siblings are providing 35 hours of care each! One person is doing most of it. That person rightly claims it. The occasional help does not count as it has to be regular. I claimed carers allowance for my disabled father because my husband and I did everything. My brother who lives 200 miles away applied for it too! Even though he had only seen our dad twice in 15 years! Even said he trimmed his toe nails! We go to a foot care specialist for that! My father was alerted by DWP, rejected his claim and my carers allowance continued. The other siblings need to stop this silliness, unless they can prove that they care for 35 hours per week.

Does your mum get Attendance Allowance? She could use that to pay your siblings’ petrol money and any out of pocket expenses.

I can't imagine being so petty with my sister. If she we're caring for our mother 35+ hours a week I could take our mum off her hands for a couple of hours respite FFS.

In the same vein, if a mother receives CB do you think a father should do zero should do zero childcare?

Thought looking after your own mother was just what you did, didn't know you could get carers allowance for it.

I don’t think it should be divided up, it’s a case of someone either gets it or they don’t.

It can’t be shared.

Are the others really that desperate to be squabbling over getting all of £20 a week each from the carers allowance? The one providing the 35 hours a week of caring responsibilities is the one who's entitled to claim it, the others can't show up once a week and expect to get a penny of a payment that is made to someone for taking on that role on a "full time basis"

If the mum claims pension credits and someone claims Carers Allowance for her, then she can lose most of her pension credit and the benefits that brings such as housing allowance and any council tax reductions.

Its always worth checking with them if this is the case as the mum could lose more than the carer gains x

I remember years ago, my mum was carer for both parents. I don’t know the rules for carers now but back then only one person could claim for one person they cared for. One of mums siblings worked a cash in hand job full time. She didn’t do any caring just visited on a weekend like any child would. It was suggested by my grandad that they apply for the other parents carers allowance and give it to my mum (mum gave up her job to look after her parents and had 3 kids to support). Her siblings partner said she would only do it if she could get half the money. For doing nothing. My grandad wouldn’t support it.