Today the Government has launched a call for evidence, inviting unpaid carers and organisations to share their views on how to improve Carer’s Allowance.  

Carer’s Allowance, paid to people providing at least 35 hours of care a week to a family member or friend who is older, disabled or has a long-term health condition was first introduced 50 years ago. Carers UK has long called for a comprehensive review of the benefit which needs urgent modernisation to reflect the realities of caring today.  

  The six-week call for evidence will gather views on:    

• Changes to the earnings limit and earnings taper to reduce the impact of the current cliff edge and reduce the number of overpayments 

• Improving predictability for carers with varying incomes   

• Improving the interaction between Universal Credit and Carer’s Allowance for carers receiving both social security benefits 

• Review of the 21-hour study rule which prevents carers from claiming Carer’s Allowance if they are studying for more than 21 hours, which is important for young students, but also older learners and those studying vocational courses 

The call for evidence also asks carers about wider issues around Carer’s Allowance that they want to raise.  

Carers UK has been campaigning to improve Carer’s Allowance for decades and a review is a key call from the Carer Poverty Coalition, made up of 130 organisations, which Carers UK set up and runs.  

Emily Holzhausen CBE, Director of Policy and Public Affairs at Carers UK, said: 

 “This call for evidence from the Government is hugely important, signalling very clearly, that it wants to hear carers’ experiences to help build a more modern benefit and a system that meets their needs. As an organisation of carers, this has been high on our priority list for years, and we’re very pleased that the Government sees this benefit, which was first introduced 50 years ago, as a priority for change to support unpaid carers who contribute so much to society and who deserve a better deal.  

“Carer’s Allowance is outdated and no longer reflects the realities of caring today. This includes inflexible rules around the earnings limit which are hard to navigate for carers with fluctuating earnings. These can dissuade some carers from claiming what they are entitled to or result in carers not working at all.  

“The current cliff edge means that if you earn just a penny over the earnings limit, you lose your entire benefit for that week. It’s led to extremely distressing overpayments that could have been smaller or non-existent with a taper. Carers tell us loud and clear that they need a modern system which allows them to clearly keep track of how much they are earning and a more flexible system.