Unpaid carers across the UK are left out of pocket by an average of £2,494 a year due to the cost of caring - even with the additional benefit of receiving Carer’s Allowance.
The research, conducted by Later Living Marketplace Lottie, found the shortfalls equated to an average of £207 a month.
According to the research the added financial burden for carers came from expenses like travel, household bills, and equipment costs.
Lottie said these added expenses can quickly add up and take their toll on carers - both financially and emotionally.
In January 2023, the Office of National Statistics estimated that there were around five million unpaid or informal carers in England and Wales.
Of this potential five million, Lottie says there are around 1.2million unpaid carers over the age of 65.
Almost half of older carers are providing more than 50 hours a week in care according to Lottie.
Unpaid carers also provide £193billion of the UK’s social care system each year.
Lottie co-founder Chris Donnelly said: “All too often, the work of informal carers across the country goes unnoticed and unrewarded.
“Carers - whether paid or unpaid - make an enormous contribution to society and provide invaluable support for their loved ones.
“We are calling on the Government to better support carers across the country, alongside employers, who can do more to support their employees.
“There must be changes to the UK’s benefits system to make it easier for carers to access financial assistance, and greater investment in social care to relieve the financial and emotional pressure on informal carers."
If you are a carer then you should look into what financial support you can claim from the Government.
What is Carer's Allowance?
The most common benefit provided to carers is Carer's Allowance which is distributed by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
Around 1.3million people claim Carer's Allowance, which compared to the number of carers there is estimated to be in the UK is not a lot.
Carer’s Allowance is paid at £76.75 a week, which amounts to around £332 a month.
Over the course of a year, Carer's Allowance payments provide nearly £4,000 in extra income for carers.
One misconception with Carer's Allowance is that you have to be related to the person you are caring for to claim - this is not true you do not need to be related or live with the person to apply.
Who is eligible for Carer's Allowance?
Like with all DWP benefits, there are eligibility criteria for Carer's Allowance.
To claim, you must be caring for someone else for at least 35 hours a week and be over the age of 16 years.
You must also not be earning more than £132 a week from employment or self-employment - this is after deductions for income tax, National Insurance and for pensions.
Alongside this, you can only claim the allowance if the person you care for claims one of the “qualifying benefits”.
These include:
- Attendance Allowance
- Constant Attendance Allowance
- Disability Living Allowance
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
Under DWP rules, caring for someone includes things such as helping with washing and cooking, taking someone to a doctor’s appointment and helping with household chores such as managing bills and shopping.
Older carers should be aware that claiming Carer's Allowance can have an impact on their state pension as you cannot claim the full amount of both at the same time.
If your state pension is less than £76.75 per week, they can get the difference paid in Carer's Allowance, but not the whole amount.
If you think you are eligible to claim, you can start an application on the GOV.UK website here, or you can call the Carer's Allowance Unit on 0800 731 0297 and ask for a form.
You can also claim the carers element of Universal Credit if you have "regular and substantial caring responsibilities" for a "severely disabled person".
The carer element currently sits at £185.86 a month.
