Carers Allowance

Peter999_2

I am currently helping someone claim carers allowance.    They have moved from where they lived to the same city as their parents to look after them (one has dementia and one has heart failure).

She has a job that pays her £500 a month and I've helped her apply for carers allowance.    She applied from 1st November as that is when she moved to care for them.    At the end of the form we were asked to send payslips confirming how much she earned.

Unfortunately she didn't keep her payslips so was having to get copies from her employer.   Due to her moving and christmas etc.  she hasn't actually got the payslips yet (she should get them on Monday) so she hasn't sent them.

However, she has just phoned to let me know that she has had £409.50 paid into her account (she wasn't sure where it was from).   I've gone over to see her and looked at her banking app which shows the reference as her NI number and then DWP CA.   Checking on-line I can see the the CA means carers allowance.

However, we are a bit confused that she never submitted her payslips (though these are all available in her personal tax record on the government website as I set her up on there a while back).     Will the DWP have had access to there and therefore decided she was entitled to it?

Also, the £409.50 is 5 weeks of £81.90.   Is this the money for January or will it be from November.  If it is from November will she then get December and January later?

I must admit that it has confused me a bit, I've never had to apply for benefits for myself or anyone else before so it's a bit of a minefield.    I would have thought she'd have received some sort of notification via post or email but she says that she hasn't.

Thanks for any help.

MynameisMichaelCane

I know someone who found carers allowance was being paid into her bank account soon after she applied for it. She received a letter in the post many weeks later saying that she had been awarded carer's allowance!  A phone call might be in order to establish which period in time the payment refers to.

Murphybear

MynameisMichaelCane said:

I know someone who found carers allowance was being paid into her bank account soon after she applied for it. She received a letter in the post many weeks later saying that she had been awarded carer's allowance!  A phone call might be in order to establish which period in time the payment refers to.

That’s pretty normal for the DWP.  Nearly every payment I’ve ever had from them has arrived before the letter telling me I’ve been awarded it.  

Peter999_2

Thanks for the replies.     I am just a bit confused as to why it was 5 weeks payment and why they have awarded it without receiving her wageslips.     I wonder if she will get it backdated to 1st Nov - as you can imagine the money would really help her.

ian16527

I think from memory that CA can be backdated 3 months - 
They should have paid her from the date she put on the claim form i.e. 1st Nov as its less than 3 months

Spoonie_Turtle

ian16527 said:

I think from memory that CA can be backdated 3 months - 
They should have paid her from the date she put on the claim form i.e. 1st Nov as its less than 3 months

It can be backdated 3 months, or to the start of the cared-for person's disability benefit claim if they waited longer than that for the decision. 

So yes either way, if the friend put the right date of starting to care for the person on the claim, it should be backdated.