How to claim

Carer's Allowance can be claimed online through GOV.UK, by phone, or by post using form DS700. The online route is the fastest for most people, but all three routes lead to the same decision process, and the choice of route does not affect the outcome. What matters is having the information ready before starting, because a claim held up by missing details is a claim whose payment starts later.

What you need

• Your National Insurance number — and your partner's, if you have one.
• Your bank or building society details (unless you receive State Pension, in which case payment arrangements may already be in place).
• Employment details, and your latest payslip if you are working; a P45 if you have recently finished work.
• Course details, if you are studying.
• Details of expenses, for example pension contributions or the cost of care for your children or the disabled person while you are at work.
• The cared-for person's details, including the benefit they receive and, where relevant, their benefit reference numbers.

Backdating

A claim can be backdated by up to 3 months, where the claimant was eligible throughout that period. Backdating is not automatic in the sense of being assumed — the claim should show the date from which the conditions were met — but it means a carer who has been caring for months before claiming does not necessarily lose those months. Do not delay claiming in reliance on backdating: the 3-month limit is a ceiling, not a promise, and any gap beyond it is lost.

After you apply

The DWP will check the claim against the eligibility tests, the qualifying benefit of the person being cared for, and the earnings position. If the claim is refused, or the carer disagrees with the decision, the route is to ask for a mandatory reconsideration — check the decision letter for the deadline, which is usually within one month of the decision. Keep copies of everything sent, and note the date of every phone call: Carer's Allowance decisions turn on dates — when care started, when earnings changed, when a break began — and the carer's own record is often the only complete one.