Carer's Allowance vs other help

Carer's Allowance is not the only help for carers, and for some carers it is not the right help at all. This page compares it with the three alternatives most often confused with it, so that a carer can see which door to knock on first.

Carer's Credit

Carer's Credit is not a payment: it is a National Insurance credit for carers who give at least 20 hours of care a week but do not qualify for Carer's Allowance — for example, because they care for fewer than 35 hours, or because they do not meet another Carer's Allowance test. It protects the State Pension record without paying anything. A carer giving 20–34 hours a week, who cannot reach 35, should look at Carer's Credit rather than assuming there is nothing available.

Carer Support Payment (Scotland)

In Scotland, Carer's Allowance has been replaced by Carer Support Payment, administered by Social Security Scotland. The broad shape — care for someone on a qualifying disability benefit — is similar, but the rules, rates and application route are Scotland's own. This site gives Scotland a pointer only and states no Carer Support Payment rate, because the published Scotland figure conflicts with the GB figure by 5p and this site will not present an unresolved figure as fact.

Pension Credit and Attendance Allowance

For pension-age carers, the interaction that matters most is with Pension Credit: underlying entitlement to Carer's Allowance unlocks the £48.15-a-week Carer Addition in Pension Credit (see the overlapping benefits page). Separately, the cared-for person's own benefit matters: an older person who needs care but receives no qualifying benefit may need to claim Attendance Allowance first — and that claim, if successful, is what makes the carer's Carer's Allowance possible. The two claims are linked in that order, and the cared-for person's claim should not be left until last.