Benefits for Students in Scotland Handbook Part 1: Benefits and tax credits Chapter 1: Carer's allowa... 2. Who is eligible Basic rules |
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As well as being a student who is eligible to claim, to qualify for CA you must satisfy all of the following conditions.
You are aged 16 or over.
You spend at least 35 hours a week caring for someone.
The person for whom you care gets the middle or highest rate of disability living allowance care component, the daily living component of personal independence payment, attendance allowance or constant attendance allowance.
You are not working and earning more than £120 a week.
You satisfy certain rules on residence and presence in the UK and are not a 'person subject to immigration control'. See CPAG's Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook for details.
The amount of carer's allowance (CA) is £64.60 a week (April 2018 rate). You are also paid a a supplement to increase your CA to the level of jobseeker's allowance. This is paid as a lump sum every six months.
You claim carer's allowance on Form DS700, available from local Jobcentre Plus offices or by phoning the Carer's Allowance Unit on 0345 608 4321. You can also claim online at www.gov.uk. Your claim can be backdated for up to three months if you qualified during that earlier period.
Benefit is usually paid directly into a bank account.
Your entitlement to CA depends on the person for whom you care continuing to get her/his disability benefit. If her/his benefit stops, your benefit should also stop. To avoid being overpaid, make sure you tell the Carer's Allowance Unit if the disabled person's attendance allowance, disability living allowance or personal independence payment stops being paid.
It is not always financially prudent to claim CA. Although it may mean more money for you, it may result in the person for whom you care losing some income support (IS), income-related employment and support allowance (ESA), pension credit or housing benefit (HB). If s/he lives alone, s/he may be getting a severe disability premium included in the assessment of these benefits. S/he cannot continue to get this premium if you get CA for her/him. See CPAG's Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook for details.
Although CA is not means tested, you cannot receive it at the same time as incapacity benefit, maternity allowance, severe disablement allowance, bereavement benefits, retirement pension, contribution-based jobseeker's allowance (JSA) or contributory ESA. If you are eligible for more than one benefit, you get whichever is worth the most.
If you are a part-time student, getting CA may mean you become eligible for IS. Carers are not expected to look for work and are eligible for IS instead of JSA. If you are getting CA and claiming universal credit (UC), you are eligible for a carer element in your UC and you are not expected to look for work. An extra carer premium is included in IS, income-based JSA, income-related ESA and HB, even if your CA is not being paid because you are getting another benefit that overlaps with it.
This chapter covers:
1. What is child benefit (below)
6. Other benefits and tax credits ()
Basic facts
– Child benefit is paid to people who are responsible for a child or a 'qualifying young person'.
– Both full-time and part-time students can claim child benefit.
– If you are under 20, someone else may be able to claim child benefit for you if you are studying.
– Child benefit is not means tested.
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