Would someone that has been claiming carers allowance and working part time with a small earning exception certificate for the past 4 years be entitled to contributions based ESA based on the class 1 national insurance credits, if they had stopped claiming carers allowance and working due to ill health?

Hi My son receives carers allowance and IS for caring for his grandma. At the moment she has a carer coming in each morning for half an hour to help with her toileting etc, this is being provided by the council but in a week or so it will be transferred out to a private company after this initial assessment period. Will my sons carers allowance be affected due to his nan having help for 3.5 hours per week from an agency. Thanks for any response x

Ok, Today we found out that she has been awarded PIP standard for both Care and mobility. (we originally had high rate DLA mobility) Anyway I am sort of part time self employed and we found out whilst reading about PIP that we could be entitled to Carer's Allowance. If I have the information correct then carer's maximum earnings rate is currently £102 after allowances. My questions are [1] Would WTC (working tax credit) be taken into account when arriving at the amount I earn. [2] Would any allowance be made for materials and equipment I buy + NI / tax / etc that I pay whilst doing this self employment. [3] do they average out your income over say 1 month or is it purely a week by week calculation. I currently have a turnover in the region of £200 pw but after costs leaves me about £90-95. (and I do not put anything in for rent/utilities as yet) If someone can give me some advice or point me in the right direction for finding information about this, it would be appreciated.

I only recently discovered this, as no-one from the various organisations we deal with ever mentioned it, so I hope it helps someone else. It will have been mentioned before on CAG, but this may act as a reminder. I act as carer for my mother in law who is pretty badly disabled and gets higher rates of DLA. Last year she was diagnosed with dementia, officially, although we knew there were problems before that. There are 3 people in the house. I have now submitted a signed statement from her GP confirming her lack of mental capabilities and my role as a carer. This gives further information: http://www.nhs.uk/CarersDirect/moneyandlegal/finance/Pages/council-tax-discounts.aspx She also requires space in the house for wheelchair to get about, zimmer on occasions, etc and has a specially adapted bathroom. We have made one room downstairs her bedroom so we can't use it. There might be the possibility of a lower Council Tax banding than we are currently on. I will keep my fingers crossed. Hopefully someone else might benefit and remember, back dated claims can be made. There are 3 of us in the household.

I wrote to my MP about whether or not my boyfriend could stay overnight, he stated that if I could prove he was living somewhere else then it would not be considered as living with me if he had letters addressed elsewhere, didn't eat with me, didn't buy things or make any financial offering to me. I checked with Social Services who said your benefit wasn't affected if it was 3 nights per week or less. BUT in 2008, just prior to my partner moving in, I had a letter from DWP saying they were going to visit me as they had had a report that my partner was living with me. I was told, that my partner could not stay overnight 1 night, as this would be considered as living together. I was told if I went away on holiday with him, this would be considered as living together. Surely, 8 years on this can't still be the case???

hi my daughter has been awarded carers allowance for looking after me she has been awarded £61.35 can she also claim incolme support or will she just be able to claim carers allowance,she does not work she is 21 years old

Can someone who becomes an , " official carer " claim for the time spent caring for someone beforehand / previous to that, and if so for how long ? Thanks, Mike

hi wonder if someone can help my daughter finishes college on may this year ,her last bursary payment is on the 7th of may,she will be applying for carers allowance to look after me ,when will she be entitled to claim for me it asks on form what date does she want to claim from,she doesn't know what date to put on form as her last payment is 7th may,also she does not get her results till the end of may or early june .thanks

Hi, im a mother of 3. Happily married to a graphic designer. Live in a decent house on a nice road (moved out of council 3 years ago). I am in my first year of a nursing degree and 2 of my kids receive dla for disabilities. In 2011 i claimed CA as i wasn't working and oldest was in receipt of dla, i started a small cleaning business and told all agencies of this. After 6 months the business died so reclaimed CA....I then work in care 4 months later and notified HMRC to inform about tax credits and the lady told me "we can ring CA for you", great one less call i have to make... Carried on as normal and then in november 2012 i received a letter for interview under caution, i had no idea what for. Once in interview they explained i had been receiving CA whilst working and earning to much. I explained what had happened and apologised and said i would repay overpayments. In june 2013 i got a letter from DWP to start repayments and that no civil penalty would be issued...Joined uni in sept 2013 and the in nov 2013 i received a court summons for benefit fraud. I immediately went to CAB and got a solicitor. The first 2 times in court we adjourned as my solicitor was trying to get it thrown out of court as its a small amount and has no public interest. DWP asked for evidence of my children's problems and my uni enrolment. On the third visit to court last week he said despite sending evidence the will not drop it, I've pleaded not guilty to the charges 111(1A) and (3) of social security act 1992. So i now go to trial in April for an overpayment of £4799 which £700 has already been paid back. Its the CPS taking me to court apparently not DWP...What can i do to help myself in court.If i get a caution i will more than likely be dismissed from uni as the NMC do not want a registered nurse with fraud on their DBS . I feel degraded and disgruntled at the whole situation and have never even received a speeding ticket. I am stressed so much i feel like I'm crumbling and I'm usually a strong person. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Hi and thank you for any help. I am on Income Based JSA and I'm on the Post Work Programme Support. I live with and care for my 80 something dad, who has just had an award of Attendance Allowance at the higher rate of £79.15pw. I care for him more than 35 hours per week. I understand that I can claim Carers Allowance and will be speaking to my JC+ advisor about that tomorrow. I understand that if my claim was successful it would be a Carers Premium to JSA. Would I remain on JSA or would I have an option to transfer to Income Support?

Hi Guys, 2 scenarios Two OAPS, Both state pension and Mr has private pension as well (not working) Mrs Gets Attendance Allowance Can Mr Claim carers allowance? Next, 2 working parents ; mum works 20 hours per week dad works 8 - 10 hours per week they recd DLA for a child and no other benefits can dad claim carers allowance I thanks you

I am on ESA for anxiety (GAD), depression and ocd and last January won my appeal with the tribunal and was put into the WRAG group. I have been attending for the past year and not missed an appointment. Recently I have become my Mums full time carer and am in receipt of carers allowance and a carers premium on my ESA. I volunteer for a charity shop 2 afternoons a week on days when my sister is not in work so she can sit with my Mum, just something so I can have a break. I have recently got a new adviser at A4E and only met her once last month at my latest appointment. She booked me on a CV writing class which was last week. I called up to rearrange as from the Monday to the Friday I didn't leave the house once as Mum was poorly so I needed to be there. Today I got a letter to say she has rearranged the appointment for next Friday morning. I told her last appointment when I met her my old adviser never booked me appointments on Fridays as she knows it's the afternoon I work and apart from being incredibly anxious everytime I go to work I cannot get anyone to sit with my Mum Friday morning and she said she won't book me in on Fridays for anything. I am the only person who cares for Mum, my sister is the only other family we have and she works 4 jobs! When I have notice of usually a month we can juggle something but this time I can't as she is working till 12pm on the Friday and my appointment to do the CV class is 9.30am! I am going to worry myself sick now for the next week as I have my next wri on the 28th then the CV writing class 31st 9.30. So worried as no one to sit with my Mum but if I don't go to the CV class I will be sanctioned. Just feel under so much pressure when I am trying to do everything possible to every appointment. I am so closed to being £120 worse off by going on income support just to stop this added pressure even though I will be in massive debt if I did.

Hi All, my situation is that I have been self employed for many years, working from home on a part time basis whilst acting as a carer from y wife. In 2005 I attempted to claim carers Allowance but at the time my taxable earnings were marginally too great to receive the benefit. I waited and applied again the following year, and was successful this time. Since 2007, all I have ever received, was a letter telling me I would continue to receive benefit and if my circumstances had changed, to inform them. My earnings stayed fairy constant, being around the limit. I contacted the carers team in April this year to tell them that my earnings for last year (next years benefit) will have exceeded the allowed limit. The chap I spoke to quite rightly suspended my payments there and then. I then received a pack asking me for accounts covering the previous 6 years. I rang into ask why and was told a variety of non plausible reasons. Eventually I was passed to a lady in a different department who introduced herself s the case manager and person responsible for making decisions affecting me. She explained that in actual fact, the department had not requested any financial information from me since my original application and therefore they would not be seeking to recover any money should there have been an overpayment. I was still asked to send in 6 years of figures that I did. On Friday gone, without any further correspondence, I received a demand from the Debt recovery arm for £17000! I have spoken to the Carers Team and written to lodge an appeal. I have always been honest as I am that sort of person. My view is that at any point had they asked me for any financial information I would have supplied it, and that would have nipped this continued overpayment system in the bud. I just wonder if there is any practical advice that others may offer. I am quite prepared to request copies of telephone conversations etc under the freedom of Information Act and will use my MP as well, if needs be. But, others might have experienced this before and have some information to share cheers David

hi I get esa my daughter lives with me and she will be finishing college on may can my daughter claim carers allowance she does everthing for me I also get dla middle care and low mobility,can anyone tell me if I will lose any of my esa or dla money like my disability premium

Hi With Carers Allowance I am given to understand that the DWP will average out the income over the period of time that you worked. In this case, working for 18 weeks, the first 5 weeks took the income well over the limit (and were properly notified) with the rest (13 weeks) at well under the limit. My way of looking at it (rather simplistic mind you) is that Carers Allowance is due for those 13 weeks and not for the other 5. However the DWP have now averaged the income earned over the 18 weeks and in doing so it takes all 18 weeks out of the equation with no Carers Allowance due. Is that correct? If so, why doesn't it work the other way with hours of caring? If someone cares for 9 days - 2 travelling and 7 actually caring in every 4 weeks (due to distance involved) and in that period the hours spent caring amounted to over 145 hours including travelling time to get there and back, they should have those hours averaged over the 4 weeks meaning that they would get Carers Allowance for each week. But they don't - they only pay it (after they have been pushed into doing so) for that one week only. Surely if the DWP are allowed to average out the income, then they should have to average out the hours?

I care for my Daughter in law and receive carers allowance sometime in the next week she is going into hospital for a major operation we have been told she could still be in hospital at Christmas when do I inform the benefit department I would think its as soon as she goes into hospital regardless of how long she is in there am I correct Thanks HW

Hi, my husband claims for us as as couple, he recieves Incapacity Benefit topped up with Income Support, he also recieves high rate mobility and middle rate care. I claim carers allowance. I would like to know when the time comes to swap over to ESA could he close his claim (heard so many horror stories about ATOS!). I would then put in a claim for us for income support, is this allowed? if so would there be any adverse affects regarding his DLA. I have checked a benefit calculator and according to that we would be no worse off. Many thanks.

Is there any way my son can do a Masters degree and get any type of funding or benefit. He is presently a carer for his gran and will continue to be throughout. He claims carers allowance and income support at the moment. Thanks for any input you may be able to offer us xx

Can someone advise us on this please. My son is claiming carers allowance for his nan who also lives with us. She receives pension credit, state pension etc. I'm on ESA Cont based and in the support group. I do not qualify for income support etc. because of my savings and a small pension. So my son is receiving carers allowance and also applied for income support at the same time (way back in May). He received a letter from DWP today to say that he is not eligible for income support. Surely as he is almost 30 years old I'm not expected to continue to support him financially while he is still living at my house. We assumed that after leaving university, rather than sign on, that he could be his nan's carer and get carers allowance with a top up of income support too. Have DWP made a mistake. When we put the figures into the turn2us benefit calculator it calculates that carers allowance and income support top up should be approx. £102.00 per week. Thanks for any info you can provide us with.

hi peeps I am finally able to apply for carers allowance regarding my disabled spouse. The problem is, it would seem we would lose the council tax benefit and the Pension Credit. Do you know of any other pros or cons we should look out for ? My wife is of pension age and receives DLA.I have a small private pension of approx. £300/month this is our total income. I had to give up work when my wife became ill. Is it worth applying for or not ? Regards Howler

Looking for a bit of advice. Just received a letter from the Debt Management (BF) in Gloucestershire saying that there is a debt of just under £2000 outstanding. Telephoned them and it is supposed to be for overpaid Carers Allowance between 1998 and 2000. We have no idea what it is about, but given the fact that it seems to be upwards of 15 years old and neither of us can remember any further back than last month we will accept it. I do seem to remember that it had something to do with my wife being paid ICA for me after they reduced my DLA award in 1998 for which I never appealed against. Having said that they say that they have arranged to take back a third of my wife's State Pension. We don't mind paying it back but are not happy at the rate they have set. I told them that we are on Guaranteed Pension Credit as well but they could find no evidence of this on their system. If we were then the repayments would come down to £10.80 a week. The question, am I right in saying that if you have more than £500 in the bank they will not entertain a lower amount based on hardship? From what I have read if you do have more than £500 in the bank, you can only apply for a reduction due to hardship on health grounds only?

Hi CAG I am writing on behalf of my sister. She is in her late 50's, lives alone, has worked hard all of her life and now finds - after a couple of years of being bullied at her place of work (seriously !) - that her hours have been cut drastically and she can no longer afford her cost of living expenses. Also the hotel where she works is closing down in July. For the first time in her life she has gone sick with stress and I am worried about her too. She also looks after my elderly Mum & stepdad. We have just applied successfully for DLA for Mum as she is now housebound. My mum has been helping my sister with money towards her rent. None of them claim Carers Allowance despite my telling them that either my sister or my Mum's elderly partner would certainly be eligible. My sister has a car on finance. I have talked to her today about the possibility of getting a car through the Motability Scheme so that she can take Mum out in her wheelchair (she has a wheelchair but hasn't actually left her flat since she came and spent Christmas with us - we live 180 miles apart). If my Sis did this what would she do about her current car ? She is worried that questions will be asked about the money that Mum gives her to help her with rent & food. I'm sorry to have so many questions but can anyone help at all or suggest some next steps that I can pass on to her ? Thank you

Hello I'm new to the forum and wonder if anyone can give me some info. I am 34, currently live with my parents and due to mental health problems have been in receipt of IB for several years. Today I received a letter telling me I will need to apply for ESA which I would rather not do as I know I will not get awarded any or enough points just for the mental health descriptors and I can't bear another ATOS interview. My mum is in recipt of ESA (contribution I believe) she was paid off several years ago due to the need for several operations and she has numerous health problems. Her ESA is due to run out this month and as my father works I don't think she will be entitled to ESA again but she does receive DLA middle rate for care. I am wondering if it would be possible, rather than apply for ESA, to apply for CA and IS? If it is possible, would I still have to attend interviews at the job centre etc even though I care for my mum for over 35 hours per week? Thanks

I look after my mother full time. She has HIGH rate disability and LOWER rate personal care. I have been told twice, once by the benefits enquiry line and once by citizens advice that I can't claim Carers as my mother gets the lowers care but this morning, when enguiring again, I was told I can?! I am sick to death of being told different things. Who do I trust?! I havent had any income what so ever since January 4th and have been living off my parents. I don't seem to be entitled to anything! I really hope someone on here can give me some advice

Hi All, Since December my mother has been given DLA - Higher Rate Care I am currently on Job Seekers and while looking for jobs I am caring for my mum We have a block of council offices near us and the finance officer suggested possibly putting in for Carers Allowance to see if I could sign off Job Seekers and look after my mother full time instead. We filled out the form and sent it off on friday but what id like to know if possible is how hard is Carers Allowance to get accepted for? On the form it didn't really ask that many questions in terms of care etc - I obviously hit the 35 hours and If i get the Carers Allowance I plan to sign off job seekers, I just wouldn't like to sign off and then not get the Carers Allowance. I didn't know if the Carers Allowance was a pretty sure thing or if its pretty hard to get (I remember the DLA form for my mother) Thanks