The qualifying benefits
Carer's Allowance is only payable where the person being cared for receives one of a specific list of disability benefits, at the right rate. This is a hard condition: 35 hours of care for someone who receives none of these benefits does not qualify, however heavy the care load is. The list below is the GOV.UK position, including the Scottish equivalents that have replaced some of these benefits in Scotland.
The list
| Benefit | Rate or part that qualifies |
|---|---|
| Personal Independence Payment (PIP) | Daily living component (either rate) |
| Disability Living Allowance (DLA) | Care component at the middle or highest rate |
| Attendance Allowance | Either rate |
| Constant Attendance Allowance | At no less than the full day rate |
| Armed Forces Independence Payment | Any award |
| Adult Disability Payment (Scotland) | Daily living component |
| Scottish Adult DLA | Care component at the middle or highest rate |
| Child Disability Payment (Scotland) | Care component at the middle or highest rate |
| Pension Age Disability Payment (Scotland) | Any award |
Two points in the list deserve emphasis. PIP's mobility component on its own does not qualify — it is the daily living component that matters, because Carer's Allowance is about the care a person needs day to day. And for DLA, only the care component at the middle or highest rate qualifies; the mobility component on its own, or the lowest care rate, does not.
Why this list exists
The qualifying-benefit test is how the system checks, without a separate medical assessment of the carer, that the person being cared for has a substantial care need. The disability benefit has already been assessed on its own terms, so Carer's Allowance does not re-assess the cared-for person's condition. That is also why there is no diagnosis-based qualifying list for the carer: eligibility turns on hours of care plus the cared-for person's benefit, not on any diagnosis of either person.