Carers allowance

[Timothy12]

Hi,

I'm new to this so would be grateful for advice.

My elderly mother doesn't receive any kind of allowances but I'm now her carer, can I claim anything for her?

[Hidden]

Hi Timothy12,

Welcome to this Care community and I hope you'll receive some helpful advice from people who know more about benefits than I do.

But generally speaking, on the face of it, you may qualify for financial help and even possibly a package of care for your mum, but it's very dependent on individual circumstances.

As a first step, I'd advise taking a look at the GovUK website (gov.uk). The very first sub heading there is Benefits, so just follow the links, for some useful information.

Next you might think of contacting CAB (the Citizens' Advice Bureau). They'd be happy to go through your individual needs and will help with putting you in touch with the right agencies, form filling, etc.

They can be reached via this website: citizensadvice.org.uk/, and from there you can certainly access the address and telephone number of your nearest branch.

Very best wishes to you and your mum, and do give us an update on how you get on, or with any other query about caring.

[Timothy12 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for your help, I'll let you know how I get on

[MAS_Nurse]

Hi Timothy12,

Welcome to our community. I would add to Callendersgal excellent reply to have a look at our Pinned Posts section where there is some expert info on Carers allowance and Caring for a loved one.

Keep in touch and let us know how you are getting on.

Hope this helps,

Best wishes,

MAS Nurse and Moderator

[Hidden]

Hello Timothy12, Yes, you can get Attendance Allowance for your mum if she is very poorly and/or disabled. Have you had a Carers assessment or you can apply for one. Hope it helps.

[Hidden]

Look at carers allowance online all the information is there

[Timothy12]

I've found the websites unhelpful because they won't give out a phone number so that I can speak to a human being, but thank you for your ideas.

[Bella395]

Take one step at a time. First thing to do is telephone [phone] and ask for the forms to be sent. It is crucial that you fill them in ASAP and that you provide full information. You can pin extra information to the form if there isn’t enough room. AgeUK may be able to help you fill the form in but you can prepare by keeping a journal for a short while. List her/your daily activities with regards to her needs and your assistance. You will need to put a bit of time and effort into this as it is not easy.

ageuk.org.uk/information-ad...

If she is awarded medium or higher rate you can then look into Carers Allowance to see if you are eligible.

[Timothy12 in reply to Bella395]

Thank you, everyone on this website is being so helpful

[Hidden]

Recommend a visit to Age UK if they have an office near you or a carers organisation in your area. They know how to fill in the forms to best effect.

[Tone54]

If your mum is over the age of 65 she can claim for attendance allowance under that age then it's pip..if she is successful with the attendance allowance then you can claim for carers allowance if you look after her for more than 35hrs a week...with pip in non to sure with dla you had to have middle of higher benefit to claim carers allowance however if you receive pension credit .a part of carers allowance will be added to it...not the full amount though it depends how much pension credit you get....but there are gov /uk websites so you can see if your applications will be succesful...carers allowance is non taxable i believe so does not count when income is assessed for housing benefit etc..good luck