Carers allowance

Benefits, finances and funding
1

Has anyone been refused carers allowance on the basis of being a full time student?
I have been rejected but look after my mum full time and travel to university and home because I only 8 hours of lectures a week and my mum needs my assistance to do everything from washing, dressing and preparing meals

2

This subject comes up quite often !

Unfortunately, as the rules stand, students in full time education cannot claim Carers Allowance

Can you claim Carer’s Allowance?
Not every carer can get this benefit. You may be eligible for Carer’s Allowance if you meet all the following conditions:

you look after someone who gets a qualifying disability benefit
you look after that person for at least 35 hours a week (during Covid19, providing emotional support counts toward this)
you are aged 16 or over
you are not in full-time education
you don’t earn over £128 a week (after deductions)
you satisfy UK presence and residence conditions



You are not in full-time education

The meaning of ‘full-time education’ is complicated and may depend on a number of factors including the type of course you are doing.

Your course is likely to be considered ‘full-time’ if:

your university, school or college describe the course as fulltime (however some courses classed as ‘full-time’ may in fact not be classed as ‘full-time’ by the Carer’s Allowance Unit if the supervised study required for the course is for less than 21 hours a week; or
you are required to do 21 hours a week or more of study (even if your university, school or college does not describe your course as full-time)
If you are in full-time education you also won’t be able to get Carer’s Allowance during temporary absences from your course including holiday periods.

Note: You can find more information about this in our Carer’s Allowance factsheet.

3

Sorry to jump in, I have a question that I can’t figure out.

Can you earn Universal Credit and Carers allowance while earning under £100 a week ?

I care for someone full time and can’t work out what I’m entitled too

4

Do a benefits calculator…

5

Did you have the same situation with a full time studies but very few hours for lectures and > custom writing > projects? Please share your experience.

I’ve been also refused carers allowance. Due to the fact that I’m studying full time (it’s my second diploma). I cannot get Universal Credit either because I’m employed as an intern with a moderately high income.

Can I claim carers allowance after getting my second diploma?
Thanks.

6

Hi,
No, not if you are earning over the limit as an intern.

Not every carer can claim this benefit. You may be eligible for Carer’s Allowance if you meet all the following conditions:

you look after someone who gets a qualifying disability benefit
you look after that person for at least 35 hours a week
you are aged 16 or over
you are not in full-time education
you don’t earn over £128 a week (after deductions)
you satisfy UK presence and residence conditions.

Melly1

7

Old thread, now closed.