Carer's Allowance UK: Rates, Earnings Limit and the Overpayment Reassessment

Carer's Allowance pays £86.45 a week to someone who spends at least 35 hours a week caring for a person who gets a qualifying disability benefit, and Scotland runs a different benefit, Carer Support Payment, in its place.

Who can get Carer's Allowance

You can get Carer's Allowance if you are 16 or over, spend at least 35 hours a week caring for someone, and have been in England, Scotland or Wales for at least 2 of the last 3 years. You must normally live in England or Wales, not be in full-time education, not be studying for 21 hours a week or more, and not be subject to immigration control. Your earnings must be £204 or less a week after tax, National Insurance and expenses (gov.uk: Carer's Allowance eligibility).

The person you care for must already get one of a set list of qualifying benefits: the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment, the middle or highest care rate of Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance, Pension Age Disability Payment, Constant Attendance Allowance at a specified rate, Armed Forces Independence Payment, or, in Scotland, the daily living component of Adult Disability Payment or the middle or highest care rate of Child Disability Payment or Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance. You do not have to be related to the person you care for, or live with them, and only one carer can claim Carer's Allowance for the same cared-for person.

You can back-date a new claim by up to 3 months (gov.uk: how to claim).

How much Carer's Allowance pays, and the earnings limit

Carer's Allowance pays £86.45 a week (gov.uk: Carer's Allowance). It is taxable if your income is over your Personal Allowance, but it is not affected by savings.

The earnings limit is set in regulations and updated each April; the government has linked it to 16 times the hourly National Living Wage. DWP's own response to the independent review of Carer's Allowance overpayments describes that link: the weekly earnings limit is linked to 16 times the hourly National Living Wage, which the response gave as "currently equating to £196 a week" when it was first published in November 2025 (gov.uk: government response to the independent review of Carer's Allowance overpayments). The live eligibility page now shows £204 a week. The £204 figure has applied since 6 April 2026, when the 2026 up-rating regulations wrote it into regulation 8 of the Social Security (Invalid Care Allowance) Regulations 1976, which set the Carer's Allowance earnings limit (legislation.gov.uk: Social Security (Invalid Care Allowance) Regulations 1976, regulation 8).

A July 2026 government announcement put the effect of the raised limit in practical terms: "Carers can now earn around £10,000 a year while keeping their support" (gov.uk: views sought to transform benefit paid to carers).

Only one carer can claim, and how it affects your State Pension

Only one person can claim Carer's Allowance for the same person being cared for, and you cannot claim it if another carer already gets Carer's Allowance, Carer Support Payment or the Universal Credit carer amount for that person (gov.uk: Carer's Allowance eligibility).

You cannot get the full amount of both Carer's Allowance and your State Pension at the same time. If your State Pension is £86.45 a week or more, you will not get a Carer's Allowance payment. If your pension is lower, DWP tops it up to the Carer's Allowance rate instead. Where a payment is blocked this way, the underlying entitlement to Carer's Allowance can still increase your Pension Credit (gov.uk: Carer's Allowance eligibility).

Why some carers were overpaid, and the ongoing reassessment

An independent review led by Liz Sayce OBE (the Sayce Review) examined why tens of thousands of carers built up Carer's Allowance overpayments. DWP's formal response accepted the review's core finding: "the guidance on averaging earnings between 2015 and summer 2025 did not accurately reflect the statutory position with respect to those with fluctuating earnings" (gov.uk: government response to the independent review of Carer's Allowance overpayments). DWP accepted or partially accepted 38 of the review's 40 recommendations, and began a reassessment exercise on 13 April 2026 covering overpayments between 10 April 2015 and 2 September 2025 (gov.uk: review of Carer's Allowance overpayments).

On gov.uk's own Carer's Allowance page: "DWP are reassessing Carer's Allowance overpayments that took place between 10 April 2015 and 2 September 2025. If you've been affected, you may get a refund or your debt reduced or cancelled. You do not need to contact the Carer's Allowance Unit about a reassessment" (gov.uk: Carer's Allowance). A separate July 2026 announcement said the reassessment exercise then under way was reviewing around 200,000 cases, with around 25,000 expected to see debts reduced, cancelled or refunded.

The review and the government response cover England and Wales only; DWP says it is sharing the findings with the devolved governments (gov.uk: government response to the independent review of Carer's Allowance overpayments).

Separately, the government opened a 6-week call for evidence on 7 July 2026 on modernising the earnings limit itself, including whether to introduce an earnings taper so income does not fall off a cliff edge once it passes £204 a week. That call for evidence closed on 18 August 2026, and no government response had been published as of the date this page was checked. No taper exists in current law. If you are unsure whether you have been overpaid, or whether a reassessment applies to you, Carers UK, Citizens Advice or the Carer's Allowance Unit can help you check your own case; this page cannot tell you whether your own debt will be affected.

If you disagree with a decision

Gov.uk's own guidance on making a Carer's Allowance claim states: "You can challenge a decision about your claim. This is called asking for mandatory reconsideration" (gov.uk: how to claim). See how to challenge a benefit decision for the full mandatory reconsideration and appeal timeline, including the separate Scotland and Northern Ireland routes.

Carer's Allowance in Scotland: Carer Support Payment

If you live in Scotland, you claim Carer Support Payment rather than Carer's Allowance. It is a materially different package, not just a renamed version of the same benefit (mygov.scot: Carer Support Payment):

Payment cadence also differs: Carer Support Payment is normally paid every 4 weeks, at the end of the 4 weeks, rather than the weekly-or-4-weekly choice available for Carer's Allowance in Great Britain, with weekly payment in advance available if you or the person you care for has a terminal illness.

Carer's Allowance in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland runs its own Carer's Allowance, administered by the Department for Communities, in parity with Great Britain's scheme rather than following Scotland's Carer Support Payment model. The rate, £86.45 a week, the £204 weekly earnings limit and the 35-hour test are the same as in England and Wales, and the residence test is adapted to "been in Northern Ireland for at least two of the last three years" rather than England, Scotland or Wales. Northern Ireland's list of qualifying benefits for the cared-for person is slightly narrower, since it naturally omits the Scotland-only disability benefits: it covers the daily living component of PIP, the middle or highest care rate of Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance, Constant Attendance Allowance at no less than the full day rate, and Armed Forces Independence Payment (nidirect: Carer's Allowance).

Getting help

Carers UK, Age UK and Citizens Advice can all help you work out whether you are likely to be eligible, help with the claim form, and help you understand whether an overpayment reassessment applies to you, free of charge. None of them, and this page, can tell you in advance whether your own claim or reassessment will succeed. For the full range of disability, carer and other benefits covered on this site, see the UK benefits hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is Carer's Allowance a week?

£86.45 a week. It is taxable if your income is over your Personal Allowance, but your savings do not affect it. Scotland's equivalent, Carer Support Payment, pays the same base amount plus two extra Scotland-only payments.

Do I have to live with or be related to the person I care for?

No. You do not have to be related to, or live with, the person you care for to get Carer's Allowance. You do need to spend at least 35 hours a week caring for them, and they must get a qualifying disability benefit.

What is the Carer's Allowance earnings limit?

£204 a week after tax, National Insurance and expenses, as of the 2026/27 rate. The figure is set in regulations each April, and the government has linked it to 16 times the hourly National Living Wage.

Can I get Carer's Allowance and my State Pension at the same time?

Not the full amount of both. If your State Pension is £86.45 a week or more, you will not get a Carer's Allowance payment, though the underlying entitlement can increase your Pension Credit instead. If your pension is lower than £86.45 a week, it is topped up to that amount.

Why were some Carer's Allowance claimants overpaid?

An independent review found that DWP's guidance on averaging fluctuating earnings between 2015 and summer 2025 did not accurately reflect the law. DWP is now reassessing overpayments from that period and has said some carers may get a refund or have their debt reduced or cancelled.

What replaces Carer's Allowance in Scotland?

Carer Support Payment, run by Social Security Scotland. It pays the same £86.45 a week base amount, plus a separate £11.70 a week Scottish Carer Supplement and £10.40 a week for each additional person you care for who gets a qualifying benefit.