If you are thinking of leaving work

If you are thinking of leaving work it is important to consider the full implications it could have on your income, quality of life and future pension entitlements.

Before you make the decision to leave work or reduce your hours, it is important to consider the implications of doing this, and to explore any options which might make juggling work and care more manageable.

Your rights in work

There are statutory rights that most carers have in work, such as the right to request flexible working, the right to not be discriminated against, the right to take a reasonable amount of time off work to deal with an emergency or an unforeseen matter involving a dependant and the right to parental leave.

For a summary of the statutory rights in work which may be of interest to you as a carer you can download our factsheet here.

As well as statutory rights, there might be additional contractual rights that you have in your work, and so it is always worth checking your contract of employment, staff handbook, HR policies or letter of appointment to see if you have any contractual rights on top of your statutory rights.

Additional support in work

As well as your statutory rights in work there might be additional support you can get to help you juggle work and care.

You might have contractual rights which can be more generous that your statutory rights and/or you might find that your workplace has support for carers in place. To find out whether there is a carer’s policy or any extra support for carers in your workplace, you could check your contract of employment, staff handbook, HR policies or letter of appointment.

You might also find that getting some additional support in place for the person you are looking after would help you to remain in work. There are different ways of trying to access additional support, such as through assessments from the local council/trust, or by arranging support privately. For further information on getting some additional support you can see the section called 'Getting support for you and/or the person you are looking after whilst you are in work'.

Your financial situation if you were to leave work or reduce your hours

Before you make any decisions about leaving work or reducing your hours, it’s important to consider the impact this will have on your current financial situation and your future pension entitlement.

If you do leave work or reduce your hours then you may be able to look into claiming Carer's Allowance, and you may also be able to look into claiming other benefits and/or tax credits. However, eligibility for Carer's Allowance and other benefits and tax credits would depend on your circumstances. It is therefore a good idea to get a benefit check before you make any decisions, to see what your financial situation would look like if you were to leave work or reduce your hours. For information on benefits and tax credits you can view the section of our website called ‘Help with benefits’.The Carers UK Adviceline can carry out a benefit check for you.

If you would no longer be paying, or treated as paying, National Insurance (NI) through work, then you should consider the impact this will have on your NI record, as this will impact your future pension entitlement. Some benefits, such as Carer’s Allowance, can give NI contribution credits, which can help to protect your record. If you can’t claim Carer’s Allowance you may be able to claim Carer’s Credit to help protect your record. For further information you can see the section of our website called 'Help with your pension'.

You can find out what benefits you are entitled to and how much you should be paid by getting an online benefit check (see note below) or see our talk to us page for details of how to get further help.

Note: You can get a benefits check online by visiting either of the following websites:

It will take about 20 minutes to complete. These online tools are not suitable for everyone. Special rules apply to some groups of people, for example students, people under 18, people in permanent residential care, UK nationals who live abroad and people who are not British or Irish citizens.