Do you care for someone for more than 35 hours a week as an unpaid carer? If so, you may be able to claim Carer’s Allowance for the autistic child or adult that you support.
We know that caring for an autistic person can be time-consuming. You may have needed to reduce your hours at work, or you might not be able to work at all.
You may also have extra expenses because you’re a carer. Perhaps you have to pay for respite care when you’re unavailable, or you need to pay for transport to appointments. These costs add up.
Whether you’re a parent, other family member, or friend, being an unpaid carer is hard work. Fortunately, depending on your circumstances, you may be able to claim Carer’s Allowance to help offset some of these costs.
It can be difficult to know where to turn to find information. In this article, we’ll explain what Carer’s Allowance is, when you might be eligible, how to claim, and how Carer’s Allowance for an autistic child can help you.
What is Carer’s Allowance?
Carer’s Allowance is a benefit for anyone who supports someone for more than 35 hours a week. The person you support must have a disability and receive certain benefits.
Currently, Carer’s Allowance is £81.90 per week. This amount remains the same even if you’re supporting more than one person.
Carer’s Allowance is a taxable benefit, which means that you may have to pay tax on it. However, it isn’t means-tested, so no one will look at how much money you have in savings or your assets – they’ll only look at your weekly income from employment or self-employment.
If you are employed as a carer, this information will not apply to you. Read more about support for employed carers here.
Am I a carer?
You might not be sure if you are a carer, especially if you’re supporting an autistic family member or friend – sometimes it might feel like you’re just parenting or babysitting.
However, you may be classed as a carer if you spend more than 35 hours a week with the autistic person and help them with activities such as personal care, transport, shopping, food preparation, housework and emotional support.
Even if you work another job for some of the time, you may still be eligible for Carer’s Allowance, depending on your income.
Can I get Carer’s Allowance for autism?
You may be able to claim Carer’s Allowance for autism if you meet the following eligibility criteria:
- You care for a disabled person for more than 35 hours a week.
- You’re 16 or over.
- You aren’t in full time education.
- You live in Great Britain and have done for at least two of the last three years. There may be exceptions if you’re a member of the Armed Forces.
- You are a British citizen, or have pre-settled or settled status from the EU Settlement scheme, have indefinite leave to remain, or have refugee status.
- You earn less than £151 per week from employment (including self-employment). This figure is after deductions such as National Insurance and income tax, as well as certain expenses.
You can’t claim Carer’s Allowance if someone else is already receiving it for supporting the same person. For example, if your spouse already claims Carer’s Allowance for supporting your child, you won’t be able to claim.
You don’t have to live with the person you support, and they don’t have to be related to you. This means that you can claim Carer’s Allowance for autism if you spend more than 35 hours a week supporting a friend or their child, for example.
If you’re providing care for someone who isn’t a relative, you should consider self-employed carer insurance. This will cover you in the event of an accident, injury, property damage, or allegation of negligence or abuse.
The person you support must receive one of the qualifying benefits, which include:
- The middle or highest care rate of Disability Living Allowance
- The daily living component of Personal Independence Payments
- Attendance Allowance
- Constant Attendance Allowance, at the basic rate with a War Disablement Pension, or at the maximum rate with an Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
Direct Payments Carer Insurance
Cover available for:
- Direct Payments Arranged Care
- Employers Liability up to £10m
- Public Liability up to £5m
- Legal Expenses & Redundancy Cover
- Many Healthcare Tasks Covered As Standard
How do I claim Carer’s Allowance for an autistic child?
It’s easy to claim Carer’s Allowance. You can either make a claim online, or apply by post.
You can’t claim over the phone, but if you have questions about the process, you can contact the Carer’s Allowance Unit on 0800 731 0297, between 8am and 6pm, Monday to Friday.
If the person you support doesn’t receive one of the qualifying benefits, you should start by arranging a needs assessment for them.
How does Carer’s Allowance for autism work?
Once you’ve been approved for Carer’s Allowance for an autistic child, you’ll receive a payment into your bank account. You can choose for this to be paid weekly or once every four weeks.
If you already claim benefits, Carer’s Allowance for autism may change your payments – however, it shouldn’t reduce the amount that you receive. Depending on what other benefits you receive, it may increase the total amount.
Can I get more support than just Carer’s Allowance for autistic children?
Every week that you receive Carer’s Allowance, you’ll also get National Insurance credits. These help to fill gaps in your National Insurance payments record, meaning that you’ll continue to qualify for other benefits in the future, such as the State Pension.
Depending on your circumstances, you may also be able to claim a reduction on your Council Tax, and additional supplements to other benefits that you already receive, such as Universal Credit.
What if my circumstances change?
You should contact the Carer’s Allowance Unit if your circumstances change, as this might mean that you’re no longer eligible for Carer’s Allowance for the autistic child or adult.
Changes of circumstances may include:
- Getting a new job
- Starting a university course or another course of study
- Your income increasing
- The person you support being hospitalised
- The person you support moving to residential care
- Taking a break from caring, or reducing the hours you provide care
You should also contact the Carer’s Allowance Unit if the person you support has died.
If you continue to claim Carer’s Allowance for autism when you’re no longer eligible, you will have to pay the money back, and may also need to pay a fine.
What if I’m not eligible for Carer’s Allowance?
If you believe that you’re entitled to Carer’s Allowance for autistic child support, but you’ve been turned down, you can appeal that decision.
If you’re not eligible for Carer’s Allowance, you may still be able to claim Carer’s Credit. This won’t award you any money, but it will protect your National Insurance record. This means that you’ll still be eligible for other benefits in the future, such as Maternity Allowance or the State Pension.
How can I spend my Carer’s Allowance for autism?
Carer’s Allowance shouldn’t be confused with a personal budget. If you’re a carer, a personal budget must be spent on supporting your caring role – sometimes it’s also called a carer’s well-being grant. You may need to spend your personal budget on respite care, counselling, transport, or anything else that can help you in your caring role.
However, Carer’s Allowance is a separate benefit.
You can use your Carer’s Allowance towards any of your living costs – it doesn’t need to be spent on anything in particular.
If you have a family member with autism that requires a higher level of care, you may want to consider having an assessment to see if you may be entitled to hire care via direct payments.
Read more about direct payments and how to find out if your family member may be entitled to them.
