What is the Carer Premium?
The Carer Premium is an additional amount of money paid on top of other benefits you might already be claiming. The benefits you can get a carer premium added to are:
- Universal Credit (UC)
- Income Support
- Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) – income-related
- Employment Support Allowance (ESA) – income-related
- Housing Benefit
- Pension Credit
- Tax Credits (Child and Working)
- Council Tax Support
How much is the Carer Premium?
The Carer Premium (CP) for 2022 – 2023 is £38.85 a week. If you are on Universal Credit (UC), this premium is paid monthly at £168.35.
Carer Premium is also known as the Carer Addition and the Carer Element, depending on which benefit you claim.
How do I get the Carer Premium?
If you are a mental health carer, you may qualify for a Carer Premium, addition, or element if you or your partner are entitled to Carer’s Allowance.
You do not have to be receiving Carer’s Allowance to receive the Carer Premium. However, to get the premium added to your benefit, you should apply for Carer’s Allowance first.
Case Study: How a benefits adviser helped Maurice claim a Carer Addition to his pension
Maurice is 65-years-old and has begun to claim his State Pension. Maurice cares for his partner, Albert, full-time.
Albert has Alzheimer’s disease and is diagnosed as ‘severely mentally impaired’ (SMI) by an approved mental health professional (AMHP).
Albert experiences significant problems with his short and long-term memory and can become distressed and angry. Maurice looks after Albert and helps him to dress, bathe and move around.
Maurice has been claiming Carer’s Allowance, but now that he is claiming his State Pension, he can no longer receive Carer’s Allowance because of the overlapping benefits rule.
Maurice is worried he will not have enough money to help care for Albert, so he sees a welfare and benefits adviser.
The adviser reviews Maurice’s case and discovers that even though Maurice can no longer claim Carer’s Allowance, Albert is still receiving a qualifying disability benefit, and Maurice is still entitled to Carer's Allowance.
Looking at Maurice’s income, the adviser discovers that Maurice’s weekly State Pension is less than the Carer's Allowance Maurice received. The adviser recommends Maurice contact the DWP and remind them that he is still entitled to Carer’s Allowance.
The DWP looked at Maurice’s case and increased his State Pension to include a Carer Addition so that Maurice does not lose any money to help him care for Albert.
What happens if the person I am caring for dies?
You must inform the DWP if the person you care for dies. You will still get the Carer Premium, Addition, or Element, and it should continue for another eight weeks.
The DWP will start the eight weeks from the first Sunday after the person has died. If the person you care for dies on a Sunday, the eight-week period will begin from that day.
Can Carer Premium affect the benefits of the person I care for?
Your carer premium can affect the benefits the person you care for is claiming. If you do not claim Carer’s Allowance, but you receive a carer element or addition to another benefit, the person you are caring for cannot get the following added to their qualifying benefit:
- Severe Disability Premium or,
- Severe Disability Addition.
You should contact a welfare benefits adviser before applying for Carer’s Allowance. They can help you decide whether you are better off on Carer’s Allowance or another benefit.
