Hello Mike
My client is 67. Each week she gets State Pension of £148.15 and Pension Credit of £25.60. She owns her house.
She looks after her mum who lives just around the corner.
Her mum gets Attendance Allowance and State Pension, her dad also gets State Pension, and the parents have a joint claim for Pension Credit.
My client wondered about claim Carer’s Allowance but she was told that she is over the age limit.
I’ve looked online and can’t find an age limit. Is this right?
Gurpal
Hey Gurpal,
You are absolutely right. Carer’s Allowance does not have an upper age limit. But there is a problem called the overlapping-benefits-rule.
There is a group of non-mean-tested benefits (ie income and savings don’t matter) that are intended to provide ordinary weekly spending money, called overlapping benefits.
If you meet the rules for more than one of these benefits you can only have one. You get the one that gives you the best deal.
Carer’s Allowance and State Pension are both overlapping benefits.
And since State Pension is almost always more than Carer’s Allowance, if you are an older carer you only get the State Pension.
And this is why many people think that Carer’s Allowance has an upper age limit.
But:
Your client should still claim the Carer’s Allowance.
They will send a letter saying that she has an underlying entitlement to Carer’s Allowance.
This means that she meets the rules but she can’t have it because of the overlapping benefits rule.
If she then sends the letter to Pension Credit they will give an extra element called a Carer’s Premium of £37.50 pw
So, she has to go round-the-houses to get it, but she can get an increase in benefit for being a carer.