Can I Claim PIP For Caring For My Mum Even Though I Am Working Full Time?

Truegho

Can I claim PIP - or any other care allowance - for caring for my mum (she can't walk very far due to arthritis and other ailments) even though I am working full time?

My mum is on Pension Credit, is 88, and is currently awaiting a form to claim Attendance Allowance.

marcia_

Truegho said:

Can I claim PIP - or any other care allowance - for caring for my mum (she can't walk very far due to arthritis and other ailments) even though I am working full time?

My mum is on Pension Credit, is 88, and is currently awaiting a form to claim Attendance Allowance.

 Its not you who would claim pip unless you have an illness or medical condition. 

 You would apply for carers allowance once she was granted attendance allowance but you might not qualify if earnings are full time 

BridgetTheCat

No. You can’t claim PIP at all. It’s a benefit paid to the disabled person to help with the extra costs of being disabled. 

Your mum might have been able to claim it had she still been under state pension age. 

Rubyroobs

PIP is not an allowance paid for caring for someone. It is a disability benefit for people under state pension age. If she is awarded Attendance Allowance then you could claim carers allowance for caring for her if you provide 35 hours of care a week and earn under £196 a week. If you work full time it's likely that you will exceed this earnings threshold. and so will not qualify. If you claim Universal credit then you may qualify for the carers element of UC which has no earnings threshold. 

Uriziel

I believe they ask if you spend over 35 hours a week caring for someone before you get paid for it by the government. If you are working full time I guess you don't do that.

Spoonie_Turtle

Uriziel said:

I believe they ask if you spend over 35 hours a week caring for someone before you get paid for it by the government. If you are working full time I guess you don't do that.

Mornings, evenings, overnight, weekends - a lot of carers do.

Caz3121

Uriziel said:

I believe they ask if you spend over 35 hours a week caring for someone before you get paid for it by the government. If you are working full time I guess you don't do that.

there are 168 hours in a week...many people work full time and still care 35 hour+ for others as well 

hasjav

If you are not able to claim Carers Allowance due to your earnings, you might be able to receive the Carers Element through Universal Credit if you are caring for someone for 35 hours or more and if the cared for person receives a qualifying disability benefit. However, there is a caveat; if your mum receives pension credit then it would be affected if you claim the carers element for UC.

Just so you know, you can make an online claim for Attendance Allowance though it might not be available in/for some areas. You cannot apply online if you:

• are an appointee
• have power of attorney

Here's the link: https://www.gov.uk/attendance-allowance/how-to-claim

p00hsticks

Uriziel said:

I believe they ask if you spend over 35 hours a week caring for someone before you get paid for it by the government. If you are working full time I guess you don't do that.

As others have said, plenty of people can spend 35 hours a week caring for someone and still work full time - but chances are they wouldn't qualify for Carers Allowance because of how much they earn, as you are only eligible if you have a net income of less that £196 a week 
Carer's Allowance: Eligibility - GOV.UK

born_again

Caz3121 said:

Uriziel said:

I believe they ask if you spend over 35 hours a week caring for someone before you get paid for it by the government. If you are working full time I guess you don't do that.

there are 168 hours in a week...many people work full time and still care 35 hour+ for others as well 

Given the National Min wage.
I'll take the lowest rate £7.55 for under 18 & apprentices. That is £271.80 for a 36 hour week. So they would need to work 25 hours a week or less to claim CA. 

So there is no chance of a full time worker getting carers paid to them, as they are over the £196. Only hope would be if they are claiming UC & then you can claim Carers Element of UC.

Spoonie_Turtle

born_again said:

Caz3121 said:

Uriziel said:

I believe they ask if you spend over 35 hours a week caring for someone before you get paid for it by the government. If you are working full time I guess you don't do that.

there are 168 hours in a week...many people work full time and still care 35 hour+ for others as well 

Given the National Min wage.
I'll take the lowest rate £7.55 for under 18 & apprentices. That is £271.80 for a 36 hour week. So they would need to work 25 hours a week or less to claim CA. 

So there is no chance of a full time worker getting carers paid to them, as they are over the £196. Only hope would be if they are claiming UC & then you can claim Carers Element of UC.

This is true, but the poster was doubting the time spent on caring rather than the earnings.  It's important for people to understand that people working full-time can also be full-time carers, often more than full-time, spending longer caring than they do working at their paid job. 

As you rightly point out their earnings would make them ineligible for Carers Allowance so they truly are unpaid for the care they provide, their labour saving the country ££££££.