Benefits and Work has today published a 23 page members’ “Guide to claiming carer’s allowance and challenging overpayments”.

Carer’s Allowance has been very much in the news in recent months as the scandal of the DWP snatching back a quarter of a billion pounds from carers continues to grow. 

The National Audit Office has launched an investigation into the DWP’s failure to warn claimants whom the department knew had gone over the earnings limit, instead leaving them to build up massive overpayments.

And the Liberal Democrats have said that they would not pursue carers for old overpayments.

The Benefits and Work guide aims to help people make an effective claim for carer’s allowance, avoid overpayments where possible and, if the DWP say they have occurred, understand how to challenge them.

The guide covers:

  • Carer's Allowance (CA) qualifying criteria
  • Backdating your Carer’s Allowance claim
  • How to make a claim for Carer’s Allowance
  • The carer element of Universal Credit (UC)
  • Carer’s Allowance and other benefits
  • Other entitlements as a carer
  • Carer's Allowance overpayments: what's the problem?
  • Duty to disclose
  • The three decisions       
  • The entitlement decision
  • The overpayment decision
  • The recovery decision
  • Civil penalties
  • Will a Carer’s Allowance overpayment affect my other benefits?
  • What methods can the DWP use to recover an overpayment?
  • What are your options if you cannot afford to pay?

Members can download the guide from the PIP Guides page or from the AA/DLA Guides page.

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    raymond c · 3 months ago
    I get-pip both enhanced rates on all and the way it makes me feel is no matter who you vote for they all lie and are only in it to fill their own pockets with the poor people's money. we always get sanctioned. It makes me feel that I don't want to live anymore. I'm 62 years old this year and waiting for a review to come through for Pip. I've already had one from Esa and sent it back but they made it so hard with the question's in it. I'm dyslexic and have ADHD and I have mental health problems and I have ongoing operations for my knee waiting for a knee replacement as I was told I needed it and promised it the last time I went to see my knee specialist was told I won't operate as it will put you in more pain. really how does that work? I'm waiting for a shoulder operation as well. I'm ex-army and I feel I've done my bit for my country but no one is there for me now it's lie after lie. I can't even see a shrink one-on-one and I go to doctors or hospital appointments for my mental health unless I pay for it as the government has stopped that now. I'm a prisoner in my home i live in the middle of nowhere. I feel I have no say in anything anymore and i wake up every day wishing I was dead. you put the news on and every day some politician kicks me down further into my black hole. and I know there is no way out. the government wants to kill off all the poor people then us disabled folk won't be a problem to them anymore. Mark my words there will be a lot of suicides coming. but like the conservatives part said in covid let the bodies pile high.we dont matter and who ever is in goverment we still wont matter.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    ClaireyR · 3 months ago
    My husband claims carers allowance for me, he also works a couple of days a week as a sessional worker. In March he received a call from the DWP saying he’d been earning over the threshold and was being ordered to pay back £4,500 (ish) plus fined £50! He was gobsmacked and didn’t tell me for a couple of weeks as he didn’t want to worry me… Anyway I know how meticulous he is about most things, so said get your payslips sorted and we can check them. Having done this we realised that the only reason he’d gone over the threshold was because they’d ( Despite it being clearly marked on each individual payslip) classed his fuel allowance as earnings! He was then told to do a mandatory reconsideration, which he did immediately and told they had reconsidered and decided that he didn’t owe £4,500 but they would be still fining him the £50! He is still waiting for them to restart his carers allowance and so hasn’t had any money from them since March! 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    D O'C · 3 months ago
    How about carers allowance being paid to carers over the pension age? The caring doesn't stop when carer can claim pension ( WASPI woman here ) it gets more difficult to care for a disabled adult son/daughter in late 60's and won't get better - ever 

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