Univeral credit and caring for family member advice

[littlefox90]

Ive been caring for my mum for some time but she has recently started to fall more often. I have recently lost my job and started claiming universal credit instead of tax credit so im not really sure how it works.

Mum mentioned how much it helps having me to help more and i wondered if i could care for my mum and not work? How would this impact my claim?

"Caring for a total of 35 hours a week or more for one or more people getting:
– Attendance Allowance
– Constant Attendance Allowance
– Disability Living Allowance (middle or higher rate)
– Personal Independence Payment daily living component
– the Armed Forces Independence Payment"

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-and-you/draft-uc-and-you#easements

Does your Mum get Attendance Allowance/PIP?

If you are going to look after her for 35 hours per week or more, then you wouldn't have to seek work.

As PP said she'd need to be in receipt of a qualifying benefit first.

If she is - you need to check out what impact this would have on your mum's benefits. Eg, if she is state pension age, lives alone and has a Severe Disability Premium, you claiming Carer's Allowance would result in her losing it. She could then potentially lose Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction too.

Get some benefit advice for BOTH of you first. See if your local council has a Welfare Rights service, look up Unemployed Workers Centres or CAB.

If your mum is in receipt of a disability benefit and you provide 35 hours of care a week then you could claim carers element of UC which will add around 3168 a month to your Uc claim, or you could claim carers allowance and Uc carers element but the carers allowance would be deducted from your UC. As above though you need to check whether claiming either of these would affect any benefits your mum receives.

If she doesn't already get it, apply for Attendance Allowance - processing times are long at the moment. Ring for the forms as the claim will start from that date. Does she have a dementia diagnosis? If so, she will qualify for Severe Mental Impairment discount on Council tax which is usually greater than single person discount. Has she been assessed by Adult Social Services for care requirements. Does she need an OT assessment? Lots of things to consider. I would suggest you join the Mobilise fb group for unpaid carers, lots of help and advice there.

As above, if your Mum gets Attendance Allowance (or possibly DLA or PIP) depending on her age/circumstances then if you are (effectively) full time as her carer you could get £185.60/month added to Universal Credit as a Carer Element. Working out if it's worth claiming this depends on both your circs and hers - take advice.

If not already on AA or similar then as a starting point, whats is her underlying health problem and does she need help during the day, by night or both. Does she need 'watching over' in case she fall, wanders etc?

Thank you for the replies. She gets middle rate pip for mobility. She has severe arthritis in both knees, they keep giving out on her. Shes really hurt herself falling in the last couple of weeks. Once getting out the bath. Shes spoken to the GP about a knee replacement as shes only 61 but in the meantime she needs help to get around and to work (she luckily has a sit down job that shes cut her hours down on) PIP is the only thing she claims.

PIP has Standard and Enhanced rates for daily living and for mobility. She needs to be getting at least the Standard element of daily living for you to be allowed to care Carer's Allowance.

If she thinks she would qualify, she could call the PIP enquiry line and tell them that she would like to have a review of her needs.

Attendance Sllowabce is a pension age benefit so not applicable yet.

If she works outside the home I doubt if you could claim she needs 35 hrs plus a week hands on care from you

I would be contacting adult social services to get her home assessed and aids fitted to make sure she can get about safely.

I suppose 2 hours in the morning to help get ready for work and 3 hours in the evening would cover it, but it does sound like @littlefox90 and her Mum are thinking that this would be a mutually beneficial arrangement to allow littlefox90 to be freed from the claimant commitment rather than an actual need.

So atm i help her get ready in the morning. Yes she does work but i drive her to work and she sits down there, plus has reduced her hours. I help with any housework sge cant sit on a stool to do, help her in and out of the bath after a nasty fall last week and help her to get ready in the morning. She can dress herself but needs help to steady herself.

This idea isn't designed to be a long term thing. Hopefully things will improve for her after a knee replacement? Its not fair for her to live this way at her age

Honestly, would she want you to give up your career and be on benefits to help her in this way? I wouldn't want that of my daughter.

So from what you have said she is not in receipt of a qualifying benefit. You, therefore, cannot claim as a carer.

Well it's all going to depend on whether you spend 35 hours per week helping her.

Do you have children on your UC claim? The basic amount of UC, even with the caring element, is very low.

I have a child on my claim.
She wouldn't want me to give up my career but i was working part time and got laid off then she mentioned how much it has been helping.
I know she has the right benifit as i claimed carers allowance when she had some very ill health and few years back. I then stopped claiming as she improved and i upped my hours. I was claiming tax credits then though, not universal credit. Since loosing my last job last month ive had to switch to universal credit due to the change of circumstances so im unsure how it works.
I also have no idea what I'll get on my universal credit claim as i cant claim any housing element due to living with a close relative.
Im looking for part time jobs at the moment

Thank you i didnt know this called today and theyll ve round to help 😊

OP says she gets PIP which is a qualifying benefit

Wrong sort of PIP.

OP says her Mum gets the Mobility part of PIP at the middle rate but I think she means Standard Rate. To qualify for Carer's Allowance Mum would need to be getting PIP for Daily Living at at least the Standard Rate.

To get it for Daily living Mum would need to have problems with (eg) preparing and/or eating food, washing and dressing, using the loo etc.

If OP needs to help Mum get up in the morning etc a Job Coach might allow some flexibility on the hours she is expected to work.

@littlefox90 I assume you're over 25 so will get the Standard Allowance in Universal Credit at £368.74/month.

How many children, what are their ages and are they in OK health?

Yes i have a 16yo in good health

Sorry i got confused. Ive only ever claimed working tax credit before so dont really understand the rest.
She gets both mobility and living standard rate

Does your mum receive the severe disability premium? That will stop if you claimed carers allowance.

OK. First of all re your Mum. If she's getting PIP for Daily Living at the Standard Rate (£68.10/week) and you are providing care for at least 35 hours a week then you can get Carer's Allowance and/or the Carer Element in Universal Credit.

I don't think the fact she works is fatal to showing the need for 35 hours though you may need to do some hoop jumping to show what's needed.

If you're her Carer on that basis then UC will not require you to be available for work.

Only you and she together can decide if that route will work for you. You say though that PIP is her only benefit so no means tested benefit on which additional Premiums might be lost.

If you claim Carer's Allowance it will be deducted £1/£1 from Universal Credit but you'll get the Carer Element added to your UC; £185.86/month. Some people find getting Carers Allowance helps as although the amount of money at the end of the UC month is no better CA bein paid fortnightly helps their cash flow. You'll also be credited with Class 1 National Insurance Conts with CA whereas on UC you only get Class 3. Class 1 credits can give you more options if/when you have to stop being a Carer.

As to your UC then as of today, assuming 16yo DD is still in full time education, you'll get the following while looking for work:

Standard Allowance £368.74
Child Resp Element £315.00
Max UC Payable £683.74/month

Adding the Carer Element will take that up to £869.60/month.

Hope this helps!!

Thank you so much for breaking it all down for me its really confusing and UC obviously dont tell you any of this until a couple of days before you get your first payment which has been playing up my anxiety!

@littlefox90 Just be aware that if you had an advance of UC when you first claimed or if there's been a previous overpayment of tax credits or whatever then the amount payable might be less.

OP I am a carer for my mum who gets PIP daily living at the standard rate. I claim carers allowance and UC and there was no query about how many hours I was caring for, even though she works. There was just a tick box question of whether I was caring for over 35 hours but not what times of day it was (I stay overnight a few times a week so easily meet the conditions, but they didn't ask inthat much detail). My claim doesn't affect her finances in any way as she doesn't get any means-tested benefits, so there's no downside to claiming and it allows me to focus on caring without the pressure of looking for work, with a very small financial benefit (but make sure you look at other money saving for carers, like free entry to cinema and other attractions).

I would just put a claim in for carers allowance and see what they say. If they say no you can get more advice from a CAB or Carers organisation.