Carer element of Universal Credit

Yes, you may be able to get an additional amount included in your Universal Credit if you are a carer. This is called the carer element.

Eligibility for the carer element:

To qualify, you must meet the following conditions:

1. You must be providing care for a severely disabled person for at least 35 hours a week.

2. The person you care for must be receiving a qualifying disability benefit, which means one of the following: the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment at either rate, the middle or highest rate of the care component of Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance at either rate, Constant Attendance Allowance at or above the normal maximum rate paid with Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit, Constant Attendance Allowance at the basic full day rate paid with a War Disablement Pension, or Armed Forces Independence Payment.

3. You do not need to have actually claimed or be receiving Carer's Allowance to get the carer element, but you do need to meet the conditions that would entitle you to Carer's Allowance, or actually be receiving it.

4. You must not be in full-time education. There are limited exceptions to this.

5. You must not be earning above the Carer's Allowance earnings threshold, which is currently £151 net per week (as of the 2024/25 tax year, though this figure is updated periodically so it is worth checking the current threshold).

The current rate of the carer element is £198.31 per month (2024/25 rate).

Important points to be aware of:

Only one carer element can be included in a Universal Credit award for each person being cared for. If two members of a couple both provide care for different disabled people, they could each receive a carer element.

You should report your caring responsibilities through your Universal Credit journal. You will usually be asked to provide details of who you care for, the disability benefit they receive, and how many hours a week you provide care.

If you are already receiving Carer's Allowance, this will be treated as income and deducted from your Universal Credit pound for pound. However, the carer element itself is worth more than Carer's Allowance, so you should still be better off overall. Some people choose not to claim Carer's Allowance separately for this reason, though claiming it can have other advantages such as building up National Insurance credits.

Having the carer element recognised also means you will not be subject to work-related requirements under Universal Credit, so you will not be required to look for work or attend appointments at the Jobcentre for that purpose.

If you think you qualify, the practical step is to log into your Universal Credit journal and send a message to your work coach or case manager explaining that you are a carer, who you care for, and what disability benefit they receive. They should then assess whether the carer element can be added to your award.