Carer's Allowance is a non-means-tested benefit provided by the UK government to support people who spend at least 35 hours per week caring for someone with a disability or long-term illness. It is designed to help with the financial impact of caring responsibilities.

To qualify, you must:

• Be 16 or older
• Spend 35+ hours/week caring for someone
• Earn £196 or less per week (after deductions)
• Not be in full-time education
• Care for someone receiving a qualifying benefit (e.g. PIP, DLA, Attendance Allowance)

This totals up to £4,331.60 per year per eligible carer.

As of 2025, Carer's Allowance costs the UK government approximately £3.5 Billion annually.

Technically, Carer’s Allowance is not means-tested in the traditional sense (i.e. it doesn't assess your total household income or savings).

For Carer's Allowance, it is important to verify that caring is being provided for the required hours. The proposal is to move the monetary test from earnings to total income. This change, along with the receipt of this benefit, would be taken into account when assessing Universal Credits and other benefits to prevent double-counting.

To facilitate this, Carer's Allowance needs to be integrated as a section of Universal Credits. This would enable a comprehensive overview of a person's benefits, ensuring that there is no double-counting.