Income Support query

Giantduck

Hello!
After a bit of advice, currently a carer for a family member with autism, mental health and physical health problems. I receive carers allowance and Income Support. For about 8 weeks I'm going to be caring for them less than 35 hours a week, down to about 28/30 as I'm going to be recovering from an operation. I'll still be doing all the supervision / emotional support but will have help for the hours I'd normally do involving physically demanding work. I believe that I can still get income support as a carer without carers allowance in payment as theyve said I'd need to close my claim if it's under 35 hours a week. Do i need to close my CA claim and then phone IS? Will they continue paying me without a break? Will i get suspended? Can it force me onto UC as a change of circumstances?

After I've recovered, I intend to reclaim carers allowance.

Thank you for your help.

whizzywoo

I think you can take a break for about 4 weeks and still receive the Carers Allowance. It's sort of like paid holiday.

Are you sure that you will need a full 6 weeks off? If you could manage with only 4 weeks below the 35 hours your claim wouldn't need to be interrupted.

Giantduck

I'll definitely need the 8 weeks, having serious abdominal surgery

[Deleted User]

As i'm sure you know all sorts of things count as care, including supervision, so if you will be providing 35 hours of care including supervision it should be ok.

calcotti

Found this https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/help/support/benefits-entitlements/carers/carers-allowance#time-off

Sometimes Carer’s Allowance can be paid during breaks in care. The maximum for this is four weeks in any 26-week period. Or twelve weeks in any 26-week period if you go into hospital.

Officials count 'a week off' as a week when you spend less than 35 hours caring for the person. So if you take odd days or weekends away, these are unlikely to affect your Carer’s Allowance.

If the person you’re caring for is in hospital
If the person you care for goes into hospital, your Carer’s Allowance will stop when their qualifying benefit stops. Their qualifying benefit is the benefit they get that means you qualify for carer’s allowance. Their qualifying benefit usually stops after 28 days.

If someone you’re caring for goes into hospital, you need to tell the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), or Department for Communities (DfC) in Northern Ireland. If you don’t let them know and you are overpaid, you will have to pay back the money.

Time off as a new carer
To get paid Carer’s Allowance for breaks in care, carers must have been caring for at least 22 weeks. During this time, you must have been caring for at least 35 hours a week and the person must receive a qualifying benefit. Who qualifies for Carer’s Allowance?

This suggests you can have 12 weeks off in a 26 week period if you are in hospital. If you are recovering at home I don’t think this applies and you are restricted to 4 weeks. Beyond this it appears that your entitlement to CA will end. You can reclaim CA when you resume 35 hours of care.

See also https://www.carersuk.org/images/Factsheets/Carers_Allowance_April_2019.pdf, page 20 refers.

I think if the CA stops because you can no longer provide the requisite care, your entitlement to IS also ends. You could claim UC instead. There are circumstances in which IS runs on for 8 weeks after the CA stops but I don’t think this is one of them - but I’m not completely sure about this.