Carers Allowance and Pension Credits

Trifolium

Have used the gov UK calculator which currently shows that my parents (aged 79 ( has Parkinson's disease, sleep apne, copd etc) and 77 ( various health issues) , no savings, no property, both have attendance allowance, basic state pension for one and reduced for the other, tiny private pension) are not entitled to pension credits.

Reading pension credit guidance etc it looks like if one / both had carers allowance this might change the outcome, is my understanding correct?

I have looked at the gov UK site to see how to claim carers allowance but just wondering how that works re the 35 hours a week bit. For example my Mum does most of the driving and has to help Dad with some tasks, but then he helps her with others. So can one or both of them claim?

Sorry but just a bit confused!

Alice_Holt

As both are in receipt of AA, then PC should top up their income to a minimum of £496 pw (24/25 rates).

Is their combined income above this?

They both are entitled a £81.5 PC Severe Disability Premium (due to the 2 AA awards)
https://www.entitledto.co.uk/help/severe-disability-premium

I suspect you did not input the AA awards into the calculator?

I'd get your parents to ring PC asap and inform them about their AA awards, and their income, ask about backdating too (I'm not sure about this possibility).

However if someone claims CA for one partner, then the £81.5 PC premium is not payable and is substituted for a lesser carers premium of £45.60.
https://www.gov.uk/carers-allowance/effect-on-other-benefits


It's not to their advantage to make a claim for CA, I think.

Trifolium

Alice_Holt said:

As both are in receipt of AA, then PC should top up their income to a minimum of £496 pw (24/25 rates).

Is their combined income above this?

They both are entitled a £81.5 PC Severe Disability Premium (due to the 2 AA awards)
https://www.entitledto.co.uk/help/severe-disability-premium

However if someone claims CA for one partner, then the £81.5 PC premium is not payable and is substituted for a lesser carers premium of £45.60.
https://www.gov.uk/carers-allowance/effect-on-other-benefits


It's not to their advantage to make a claim for CA, I think.

Thanks for such a quick and helpful reply, will check!

toomuchinfo

If they both have Attendance Allowance and care for each other then both can claim Carers Allowance.

As they are over State Pension age they will be given an underlying entitlement to carers allowance, but won’t receive any money.

Underlying Entitlement will add a Carer Element to  the pension Credit which might result in a payment.

Alice_Holt

toomuchinfo said:

If they both have Attendance Allowance and care for each other then both can claim Carers Allowance.

As they are over State Pension age they will be given an underlying entitlement to carers allowance, but won’t receive any money.

Underlying Entitlement will add a Carer Element to  the pension Credit which might result in a payment.

      But doing so, I think, will remove the SDP payable due to their AA awards. 
      See the link in my post above. 

     The carers premium is less than the SDP premium. So the amount of PC top up would reduce if both / one claimed CA (and the underlying entitlement). 

 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/proposed-benefit-and-pension-rates-2024-to-2025/proposed-benefit-and-pension-rates-2024-to-2025#pension-credit     


Before claiming CA, I'd strongly suggest checking with an advice agency such as Age Uk since both are in receipt of AA.  (You'd be correct if the situation was different and only one person in the couple had an AA award - then a CA premium would be beneficial)   
     

toomuchinfo

Alice_Holt said:

toomuchinfo said:

If they both have Attendance Allowance and care for each other then both can claim Carers Allowance.

As they are over State Pension age they will be given an underlying entitlement to carers allowance, but won’t receive any money.

Underlying Entitlement will add a Carer Element to  the pension Credit which might result in a payment.

      But doing so, I think, will remove the SDP payable due to their AA awards. 
      See the link in my post above. 

     The carers premium is less than the SDP premium.

 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/proposed-benefit-and-pension-rates-2024-to-2025/proposed-benefit-and-pension-rates-2024-to-2025#pension-credit     
     

Yes, sorry, I didn’t see your reply before I posted mine and I didn’t think of SDP.

Trifolium

thanks everyone, and have a call with a charity next week so will go through it all with them then. Much appreciated

Alice_Holt

https://www.ageuk.org.uk/globalassets/age-uk/documents/factsheets/fs48_pension_credit_fcs.pdf

Page 7 & 8

Can be backdated 3 months.

poppy12345

Alice_Holt said:

toomuchinfo said:

If they both have Attendance Allowance and care for each other then both can claim Carers Allowance.

As they are over State Pension age they will be given an underlying entitlement to carers allowance, but won’t receive any money.

Underlying Entitlement will add a Carer Element to  the pension Credit which might result in a payment.

      But doing so, I think, will remove the SDP payable due to their AA awards. 
      See the link in my post above. 

    
     

That's not correct. An underlying entitlement to Carers Allowance doesn't affect any entitlement to SDP. Therefore if they have no other adults living with them then they would be entitled to couples SDP and an underlying entitlement to CA, which would mean carers premium x2 in the Pension Credit calculation as well. See link .https://www.entitledto.co.uk/help/severe-disability-premium#:~:text=SDP%20is%20not%20affected%20where,Carer%27s%20Allowance%2FCarer%20Support%20Payment.
It advises this also in the link you posted above at 4.3, page 8. 

Trifolium

No wonder I find it confusing!!! Thanks all

Rubyroobs

They can get 2 x severe disability premiums and 2 x carers premiums ( if they care for each other for 35 hours a week ) on the Pension credit claim. They may both need to apply for underlying entitlement to carers allowance if they have not already done so.