Carer’s Allowance form: checklist and tips
What to check before filling in the form
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Check whether you’re entitled to Carer’s Allowance by looking through the government’s eligibility criteria.
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Talk to the person you’re caring for and get their permission to apply, as your claim could reduce some of their benefits. For example, if the person you’re caring for receives Pension Credit with a severe disability premium, they could lose their severe disability premium, which could also affect their Housing Benefit and any council tax reduction.
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Have the following at hand:
- your National Insurance number
- bank details
- your latest payslip or P45 (if you recently stopped working)
- National Insurance number or Disability Living Allowance reference of the person you care for. -
If you’ve completed any educational courses in the last few months, have the details handy.
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If you’ve been working recently, including if you’re self-employed, you need to have information about your employer and earnings, as well as any pension contributions and childcare payments.
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You also need to know the details of any statutory sick pay, maternity pay, paternity pay or adoption pay that you’ve received during the time period you’re claiming for.
Top tips for filling in the Carer’s Allowance form
If you complete the form online, it will make sure you meet basic eligibility criteria before taking your details. So you’re more likely to get it right first time, and receive your first allowance payment sooner.
On average, gov.uk says the online claims takes less than 30 minutes to complete. However, you can take a break if you're not ready to fill it in all in one go. Although bear in mind that you’ll be timed out if you remain inactive for 90 minutes or longer.
If you get stuck filling in the form, the government has a dedicated helpline.
You can also order the claim form in large print or braille by calling the helpline.
Further reading
If you care for someone, you can arrange a carer’s assessment to find out if you’re eligible for support.
If you care for someone for more than 35 hours a week, find out if you could apply for Carer’s Allowance.
Carer’s Credit can help fill gaps in your National Insurance record if you can’t work due to being a carer.
