Carer's Allowance Checker
Carer's Allowance is the main benefit for people who look after someone for 35 or more hours a week. It is worth £86.45 a week in 2026/27 and also builds National Insurance credits toward your own State Pension. Answer five quick questions to find out whether you are likely to qualify — including the all-important earnings test. Free, anonymous, no sign-up. Built and reviewed by a UK care-sector professional.
Answer the questions below about you, the carer, and the person you look after. The earnings figure should be your weekly take-home pay after tax, National Insurance and allowable expenses.
Worked example: the £204 earnings cliff edge
Joanne cares for her father, who gets the higher rate of Attendance Allowance, for around 40 hours a week. She also works part-time. After tax and National Insurance her take-home pay is normally £190 a week — comfortably under the £204 limit — so she receives Carer's Allowance of £86.45 a week.
One month she picks up extra shifts and her net pay rises to £210 for two of those weeks. Because £210 is over the £204 limit, she loses the entire £86.45 for each of those two weeks — not a reduced amount, the whole payment. That is the cliff edge: there is no taper.
What is Carer's Allowance?
Carer's Allowance is the main benefit for people who give up time — and often paid work — to care for someone with a disability or illness. In 2026/27 it is worth £86.45 a week. It is paid to you, the carer, not to the person you look after, and it does not depend on your savings or your partner's income. There is, however, a limit on how much you can earn from work (see below).
Beyond the cash, Carer's Allowance gives you National Insurance credits that protect your own State Pension while you are caring — a benefit that is easy to overlook but can be worth far more over a lifetime than the weekly payment itself.
Who is eligible?
To get Carer's Allowance you must meet all of these conditions:
- 35+ hours a week. You spend at least 35 hours each week caring for one person. You can only claim for one person, even if you care for more than one.
- The person gets a qualifying benefit. They must already receive Attendance Allowance, the daily living component of PIP, the middle or highest care rate of DLA, Adult Disability Payment (daily living), Pension Age Disability Payment, Armed Forces Independence Payment, or Constant Attendance Allowance.
- You earn £204 a week or less after tax, National Insurance, half of any pension contributions, and certain care costs.
- You are 16 or over and not in full-time education (21+ hours a week of supervised study).
- You are normally resident in England, Wales or Northern Ireland (Scotland has the equivalent Carer Support Payment).
The earnings limit explained
This is where most claims go wrong, so it is worth understanding properly. The limit for 2026/27 is £204 a week of net earnings. "Net" means after these are taken off your gross pay:
- Income tax and National Insurance you pay;
- Half of anything you pay into a pension;
- Some care costs that you have to pay in order to go to work — for example, paying someone else to look after the disabled person, or childcare (up to certain limits), while you work.
Only money from employment or self-employment counts. Pensions, savings interest, and most other benefits do not count as earnings.
The cliff edge is the part to watch: if your net earnings come to even £1 over £204 in a week, you lose the whole £86.45 for that week. There is no gradual reduction. If your pay varies, allowable deductions and earnings averaging can sometimes keep you under the limit — ask the Carer's Allowance Unit.
How it affects other benefits
Carer's Allowance interacts with the rest of the benefits system, so always look at the whole household picture:
- State Pension overlap. Carer's Allowance and the State Pension are "overlapping benefits". If your State Pension is £86.45 a week or more, you cannot be paid both — but you can hold an underlying entitlement to Carer's Allowance, which can boost Pension Credit and other means-tested help.
- The person you care for. If they get a severe disability premium or addition, your claiming Carer's Allowance can stop it. Check before you claim.
- Universal Credit and Pension Credit. Getting Carer's Allowance (or having underlying entitlement) can add a carer element or carer addition, often increasing your overall award.
- National Insurance credits. Each week on Carer's Allowance protects your State Pension record.
How to claim
- Make sure the person you care for already has their qualifying disability benefit in place first (see our Attendance Allowance Checker). Carer's Allowance can't start until theirs does.
- Apply online at GOV.UK, or request a paper form from the Carer's Allowance Unit on 0800 731 0297.
- Have ready: your National Insurance number, bank details, employment and earnings details, and the details of the person you care for.
- You can usually backdate a claim by up to three months, so don't delay applying once you are eligible.
- For free help, contact Carers UK or your local Citizens Advice.
How this checker works (methodology)
This checker applies the published DWP eligibility tests in order:
- You must be 16 or over and not a full-time student (21+ hours a week).
- You must provide 35+ hours a week of care to one person, and that person must receive a qualifying disability benefit.
- Your net weekly earnings must be £204 or less. The checker compares the figure you enter to £204 and applies the cliff edge — over the limit means no payment for that week.
- If every test is met, the result is "likely eligible — £86.45/week". If any test fails, the result names the specific reason. The output is a guide only; the DWP decides each claim and the earnings calculation can be detailed.
What's NOT included in this checker
- A guaranteed decision. Only the DWP can award Carer's Allowance after assessing your full circumstances.
- The detailed earnings calculation. Work out your exact allowable deductions (pension, care costs) before comparing to £204 — this checker uses the figure you type in.
- Scotland. Scotland has replaced Carer's Allowance with Carer Support Payment; the core rules are similar but apply for it via Social Security Scotland.
- The household trade-offs. Whether claiming leaves the whole family better off depends on the other person's benefits — check the combined position.
The eligibility tests, the £204 earnings limit and the £86.45 weekly rate in this tool are mapped directly to current DWP guidance on GOV.UK, linked inline above so you can verify them. These are the 2026/27 figures that apply from April 2026.
The checker is reviewed by Hinesh Patel, owner-operator of Birkdale Village Care Home, with over a decade of UK care-sector experience supporting family carers through the benefits system. The tool is updated whenever DWP rates or rules change.
Frequently asked questions
How much is Carer's Allowance in 2026/27?
Carer's Allowance is £86.45 a week from April 2026. It is usually paid every four weeks (or weekly in advance in some cases). It is taxable, but most carers earn too little for that to make a difference.
What is the Carer's Allowance earnings limit?
You can earn up to £204 a week (2026/27) after tax, National Insurance, half of any pension contributions, and certain care-related expenses, and still get Carer's Allowance. This is a cliff edge, not a taper: if you earn even £1 over £204 in a week, you lose the entire £86.45 for that week. There is no gradual reduction.
How many hours of care do I need to provide?
You must spend at least 35 hours a week caring for one person who receives a qualifying disability benefit. The 35 hours can include practical tasks, supervision, and time spent arranging or organising care. You can only claim for caring for one person, even if you care for several.
Which benefits must the person I care for receive?
The person you care for must already get a qualifying disability benefit. This includes Attendance Allowance, the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), the middle or highest care rate of Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Adult Disability Payment (daily living) in Scotland, Pension Age Disability Payment, Armed Forces Independence Payment, or Constant Attendance Allowance.
Can I get Carer's Allowance if I receive the State Pension?
Often not as cash. Carer's Allowance overlaps with the State Pension under the "overlapping benefits" rule. If your State Pension is £86.45 a week or more, you cannot be paid Carer's Allowance on top. But you can still have an "underlying entitlement", which can increase Pension Credit or other means-tested benefits — so it is still worth claiming.
Does Carer's Allowance affect the benefits of the person I care for?
It can. If the person you care for receives the severe disability premium or the severe disability addition in Pension Credit, your claiming Carer's Allowance may stop that premium. Always check the combined household position before claiming — sometimes the family is better off overall, sometimes not.
Does Carer's Allowance count towards my State Pension?
Yes. For every week you get Carer's Allowance you receive a Class 1 National Insurance credit, which helps protect your own State Pension record. This is valuable for carers who have given up paid work, even when the cash value is modest.
Can I claim Carer's Allowance if I am a student?
No. You cannot get Carer's Allowance if you are in full-time education, which the DWP generally treats as 21 hours or more a week of supervised study. Part-time study below that threshold is usually fine.
Last updated: June 2026. Sources: Carer's Allowance (gov.uk); Carer's Allowance eligibility (gov.uk); Carer's Allowance rates 2026/27 (gov.uk).