Hi,
I’m really hoping for some advice because I’m worried about a situation with Carers Allowance.
I first started receiving it in 2013 while I was a complete stay at home mum/carer but in or around 2017 I no longer qualified because I was working and earning too much. I believe they said I had some sort of underlying claim, meaning I didn’t have to work and wouldn’t be required to apply for jobseekers since I was still caring but I know I stopped receiving any money from them.
In September last year I moved house and switched from the older style benefits to Universal Credit. Still working so still not claiming CA. I’m self employed, so every month I enter my earnings on the UC website and they can vary by a few hundred pounds. Then lockdown happened and my earnings took a huge hit. I still never asked to claim Carers Allowance and there was only a month where my earnings were under £100 per week.
I received a letter back in June saying they have looked again at the facts and evidence used to make their decision and are paying £66 backdated to April 2019. I wish I’d read the letter better at the time but I didn’t even check the amount before shoving it in a draw and it’s only today I’ve pulled it out and properly looked. That’s way too much and I know there is no way I qualify for that much money. It’s gone on paying bills so I have no idea how I’m meant to pay it back and I also don’t understand their reasoning. What evidence? I’ve submitted nothing to them. I did get forms asking for my profit and loss which I’ve had before and ignored because I knew I didn’t qualify and didn’t want to claim but now I know I have to fill them in and as soon as I do, they’re going to ask for repayments. I will phone them shortly and ask whats happened but I’m feeling very nervous. I’m worried I’ve done something wrong or missed something but I don’t know what.