DWP querying my carer's allowance

cbrown372

fogartyblue. wrote: »

I am aware that with Carers Allowance it is very strict as regards earnings (not allowed to average) and hours spent caring.

A while ago my dad, when he lived with mum before he moved into a care home, received Attendance Allowance & my wife received Carers Allowance.

Because her self employed earnings and time spent working were so variable, there were weeks when she went over the limit and weeks when she was under the limit.
Also, linked to this, she did not quite manage to reach the 35 hours of care some weeks due to work pressure and some weeks spent upwards of 50 hours making up for what she hadn't done in the earlier week.

The Carers Service had her complete a form every month (4 weeks) which detailed those weeks she earned under the limit and those weeks that she cared for 35 hours or more. Where both of those happened in the same week, she was paid for that week in arrears.

It was an absolute nightmare to calculate and not worth the effort when some 4 week period she received nothing but still had to prepare these reports.

After about 6 months of this going on she stopped claiming it as her time was not cost effective with what she received.

oldboy64 wrote: »

Carers Allowance is paid weekly, not monthly.

They are very strict - 1p over the limit means no CA for that week.

Likewise, if they are of the opinion that you are not caring for at least 35 hours a week (say you live miles away, or your own illness would prevent it) they will come down on you like a ton of bricks!

It seems that for the first time at last the DWP are getting to grips with this ridiculous system of self certifying. Just as long as you keep within the earnings limit and the person cared for confirms that you care for them - you get the money. No check is made if actually the caring takes place.

Here we go again, same user, different name

oldboy64

cbrown372 wrote: »

Here we go again, same user, different name

Sorry???

Again??? Maybe I am right them in what I have posted seeing that another poster has given the same info.

gullsfan

Carers allowance is in the normal scheme of things calculated weekly, however if you are not paid weekly and classed as an irregular earner they will take a longer period (ie per calendar month).
If this is the case the net amount you can earn per cm is £433.37 - this must be correct because it has come direct from the carers unit. This figure I guess would be taking the total amount you could earn net per annum £5200 and dividing it by 12 to obtain an average.
Thats all well and good but in my case the problem arises where certain amounts of overtime are not paid in the correct month worked due to a delay in processing my timesheets.
There is no way that this can be avoided. So to cut a long story short I earn less than the £5200 pa (total) but have to pay back a sum of £2600 because on certain months my pay cheque might show amounts over the below described threshold figure.
They accept an average with regard to a threshold figure of £433.37 per cm but will not accept an average with regards to my actual earnings. If they did average out my earnings over the relevant period I would be under the above posted threshold figure every month!
Therefore its a completely unfair system.