Who can claim Carer's Allowance
Carer's Allowance has five tests, and all five must be met. They concern the carer, the hours of care, the carer's education and immigration position, and the carer's residence. A sixth condition — the disability benefit received by the person being cared for — is covered on its own page, because the list is long enough to deserve one.
The five tests
| Test | Rule (2026/27) |
|---|---|
| Age | 16 or over. There is no upper age limit. |
| Hours of care | At least 35 hours a week caring for the same person, at any time of day or night. |
| Education | Not in full-time education, and not studying for 21 or more hours a week. |
| Immigration | Not subject to immigration control. |
| Residence | Normally resident in England, Scotland or Wales, and present in England, Scotland or Wales for at least 2 of the last 3 years (this does not apply to refugees or people with humanitarian protection status). |
What counts as care
Care is not limited to personal care. It includes help with washing, dressing and cooking, going with the person to medical appointments, and household tasks such as shopping, cleaning, paying bills and dealing with correspondence. Time spent on any of these counts toward the 35 hours, and the hours can fall at any time of day or night — including time spent awake at night because the person needs supervision or help. What matters is the total across the week, not the pattern of individual days.
Two rules people get wrong
First, you do not have to be related to the person you care for, and you do not have to live with them. A friend or neighbour who gives 35 hours of care a week is in the same position as a spouse or an adult child, as far as this test is concerned. Second, you do not get paid extra for caring for more than one person: there is only one Carer's Allowance payment, however many people you care for. And where two people both care for the same person, only one of them can claim Carer's Allowance for that person. The hours question for someone caring for two people — how hours across two people are counted — is not spelled out in the GOV.UK guide, so ask the DWP how it applies to your situation rather than assuming the hours simply add together.