DWP offering three month lifeline for 150,000 carer's set to lose benefits – will you be impacted?

Scottish Sun

6 days ago

DUTY CARES DWP offering three month lifeline for 150,000 carer's set to lose benefits – will you be impacted?
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OVER 150,000 households receiving carer's allowance will start losing their payments from November 2026.
Carer's allowance is a benefit for those who provide at least 35 hours of unpaid care each week, usually for a disabled or sick relative.
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Around 150,000 carers will no longer qualify for carer's allowance due to stricter PIP eligibility rules
Credit: Getty
It is currently paid at £83.30 per week, and carers can earn a second income from a job.
However, if they earn more than £196 a week, they lose the allowance entirely.
One of the main ways to qualify for carer's allowance is by caring for someone who receives the daily living component of personal independence payments (PIP).
In March, the government announced plans to tighten the rules for claiming PIP in an effort to save £5billion a year on welfare spending and encourage more people to return to work.
On Wednesday, the government introduced the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill to Parliament.
This proposed law outlines plans to make PIP eligibility rules stricter.
Currently, people qualify for PIP by earning enough points across various tasks, such as cooking, cleaning, or managing money.
Under the new rules, applicants will need to score at least four points on one specific daily living activity to qualify.
This change means that having minor difficulties across several areas may no longer be enough to qualify for PIP.
This change could see about 800,000 people lose out, with an average loss of £4,500 per year, according to government's own impact assessment.
As a knock-on effect, around 150,000 carers will no longer qualify for carer's allowance due to the stricter eligibility rules.
Understanding carer's allowance
However, the Bill also introduces measures to protect existing claimants who might lose their payments.
If someone loses their PIP under the new rules, they will continue to receive payments for 13 weeks as a safety net.
This 13-week grace period also applies to those receiving carer's allowance.
The 13-week transition period is longer than the four weeks originally planned by the government.
What is carer's allowance?
CARER'S allowance is a UK benefit designed to help people who have caring responsibilities for more than 35 hours each week.
Those eligible get £83.30 a week paid directly into bank accounts.
To qualify, the person you care for must already get one of these benefits: Personal independence payment (PIP) - daily living component
Disability living allowance - the middle or highest care rate
Attendance allowance
Constant attendance allowance at or above the normal maximum rate with an Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
Constant attendance allowance at the basic (full day) rate with a war disablement pension
Armed forces independence payment
You don't have to be related to the person or live with them to apply.
But if you share caring responsibilities with someone else, only one of you can make a claim.
The type of care you provide can vary, but includes things such as helping with washing or cooking, taking the person to medical appointments or helping out with household tasks such as shopping or organising bills.
To get the benefit, you must also meet a certain set of criteria: You must be 16 or over
You have to spend at least 35 hours a week caring for someone
You need to have been in England, Scotland or Wales for at least two of the last three years (this does not apply if you're a refugee or have humanitarian protection status)
You must normally live in England, Scotland or Wales or live abroad as a member of the armed forces (you might still be eligible if you're moving to or already living in an EEA country or Switzerland)
You cannot be in full-time education
You must not be studying for 21 hours a week or more
You cannot be subject to immigration control
You will also have to meet certain earnings criteria in order to get the benefit.
Your earnings must also be £196 or less a week after tax, National Insurance and expenses.
You can apply for the carer's allowance online by visiting www.gov.uk/carers-allowance/how-to-claim.
Despite the longer grace period, campaigners, including the disability equality charity Scope, have warned that this extended period is only a temporary fix.
They argue that once the payments stop, disabled people will still face the same extra costs of living.
Food bank network Trussell said: "The last-minute details on protections offer something for a small proportion of people, but even they will still see a real-terms cut.
The Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill has also set out how the government proposes to slash incapacity benefits offered to those on Universal Credit.
It also includes a proposal to hike the Universal Credit standard allowance above inflation over the next four years.