Please help carer just started 16 hour job, who do I contact!

Tpwl66

Hi, I’ve been a carer for many years & claim careers allowance, I’ve become quite depressed recently & feel apart from being a full time carer needed to get myself a part time job as inside I feel like I’m falling apart! I finally managed to get myself a 16 hour part time job, which I’ve now done three 8 hour shifts over two weeks, my contact is 16 hour a week on a three month trial basis, as I am being trained into something I’ve never done before! My pay is £7.83 an hour, which takes me a little over the £120 a week I’m entitled to earn as a carer but I want to claim working tax credit, My employer wil automatically take out pension from my wage, at the moment I don’t know what! But will this kick into earning the £120 less to be able to claim my careers still, I’ve heard it would but can’t seem to find any info on this, I’m sure I saw it on here somewhere, I’m really in a mess with it all, apart from that my husband who I care for has been quite ill recently, but I really do need to be able to do hopefully do my new job for my own well being too & also be the full time carer I am, can someone who knows more about these issues please help me, I don’t know who to contact, & I also don’t need to get myself in any bother with any of this like over or under claiming, just don’t think my mind can take it all, thank you so much for any help you can give xx

Darksparkle

Can your employer not tell you how much your pension deductions will
be?

httpsww.gov.uk/carers-allowance/eligibility

You must earn no more than £120 a week after tax and expenses. Expenses can include:

- 50% of your pension contributions
- some of the costs of caring for your children or the disabled person while you’re at work

As for WTC are you over 60, have children or disabled?

calcotti

You need to check if you are a UC area https://ucpostcode.entitledto.co.uk/ucdate.
If you are you will not be able to claim Working Tax Credit unless you already get Child Tax Credit. You would have to claim Universal Credit instead, this will include an additional amount because you are a carer £156/month). There are no earnings limits with the UC carers element.

In respect of Carers Allowance you are only allowed to take into account half the pension contributions when calculating the relevant earnings figure.

Tpwl66

Thank you x. I’m under 60 have a child age 14 at school & one at college, I’ll need to find out from my employer what I actually earn after tax & anything else that may come out of my wage x

calcotti

In answer to the question in the title of your post, if you need to report a change to DWP you can do it online here https://www.gov.uk/carers-allowance-report-change or using the details here https://www.gov.uk/carers-allowance-unit

pmlindyloo

As your husband is disabled are you currently claiming any other benefits -ESA, Income Support, HB, CTC, CTR?

If you are then I would strongly advise you to go to CAB and ask for a benefits check up as your earnings are likely to affect other benefits. These departments will also need to know of your change of circumstances.