Source
r/DWPhelp•
Boperatic

Carer's allowance and working part-time

I've moved in with my dad to look after him and have just had my carer's allowance approved. I've also just been offered a casual work-from-home opportunity - basically helping someone keep on top of their emails, keep their calendar up to date, and other bits and bobs. It's great because I can be really flexible with my time and fit it in around my dad's needs. I've been offered a rate of £150/day for this work, with the assumption being I note down my hours and invoice for £150 when it hits 8 hours.

I've just noticed in the eligibility criteria for Carer's Allowance that my earnings must be "£128 or less a week". So that's put me in a bit of a quandary. I'd like to do the work as it's interesting and helps me to have a project that isn't just my dad. And I'd like to maybe do more and do a bit of website development, etc.

But it's a nuisance to have to potentially limit the amount I do so I don't tip over the £128/week boundary. It seems unreasonably low, doesn't it? How have others navigated this?

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Edit: Am in England

Posted Mar 17, 2022, 5:47 PM UTC

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No-Rock-9931•

Unfortunately £128 is the limit you can earn to be eligible, I think it works out at about 15 hrs at minimum wage. So you would either need to work say 7 hours a week and keep your carers allowance or work more than 8 hours and lose the carers allowance. To be honest you're probably best working more hours and losing the £67.80 carers allowance as you'll be earning £18.75/hour working.

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BoperaticOP•

What a pisser.

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JMH-66•

Yes, sadly it's fixed. I appreciate it seems low, especially to someone who's used to a decent wage.

As the other person has said: it's designed to allow for a carer to do some work around the hours they spend caring ( for their mental well-being as well as to supplement income ). The issue is that to get CA you have to be actively caring for a person for 38+ hrs a week. The expectation being that you can't work beyond the 15 hrs/min wage ( ie standard P/T hours ) on top of that and still do both jobs adequately and have enough time for rest etc.

Of course this doesn't allow for a job that's well paid and can pay far more for half the hours such as your's.

Way back it was "intended" to represent the amount of income a person would lose if they gave up work to look after someone ( the assumption back then was that it would be a woman;working p/t for "pin money" - yes, really !! )

Sadly, despite yearly "increases", neither CA nor the Permitted Income amounts have kept pace with other benefits nor living standards.

You would be better off working if you can but need to decide if you can manage and if the work will be guaranteed before you give up the CA.

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BoperaticOP•

Thanks for explaining all that.

Sadly, despite yearly "increases", neither CA nor the Permitted Income amounts have kept pace with other benefits nor living standards.

Nor indeed with modern work opportunities. While caring can take up a full working week, like any job it also comes with a fair amount of doing bugger all while you wait for the next thing to happen. I understand that they don't expect people to be leaving the home to put in a shift at the local shop, but people could quite legitimately be supplementing their incoming alongside their duties with work like I've outlined, or flogging stuff on Ebay, running an OnlyFans, or knitting hats to sell on Etsy, etc, etc.

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JMH-66•

Absolutely right !

I'm disabled person and was a f/t carer for the last decade on CA myself ( until 6 months ago, that is, now currently a p/t one though that might be changing ).

I wish I could have taken some of the opportunities that came along ( I had a chance to do contract work for the person who was my old boss - assessing benefits !! ) when I still could, but the system just didn't allow for it. So, apart from the odd bit of voluntary work, my experience went to waste and I lived off the pittance they value us carer's as being worth ( hardly surprising when you think they pay "professional" carers min wage ! )

Now so many work from home maybe they'll realise there's an untapped workforce that , even if they can't do much, can do something. Stop hoping we'll just put up and shut up !

Wish I'd thought of OnlyFans 🤭

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DECKTHEBALLZ•

Carer's Allowance gives you national insurance contributions towards your state pension which you will be thankful for later on.

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JMH-66•

Good point ! Tends to get overlooked, too. Now I'm in my mid-50's it's one thing I'm very grateful for.

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BoperaticOP•

I'm not, but that's interesting. Another thing to research. I've been in full-time employment up until the pandemic so the benefits system is very new to me.

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No-Rock-9931•

I thought that was in regards to the carer element of universal credit not the earnings limit for carers allowance?

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BrandalfTehGay•

Could always contribute to a SIPP to get your earnings below the threshold although I can’t imagine it would be too helpful for you now.

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BoperaticOP•

Hadn't even heard of that, but it looks interesting. I'm OK financially at the moment as my overheads are very low, but I really do need to be planning for the future. Once I'm no longer in my dad's home I'll need some money stowed in sensible places.

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BrandalfTehGay•

Yes, when calculating your earnings they disregard 50% of your pension contributions. It might be worth taking some advice on SIPPs, namely which kind will be allowed for this exemption and when you’re able to withdraw the sum as most can’t be touched until you’re 55 at least, so if you’re needing money before then, might not be worth it.

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BoperaticOP•

Time to find an independent financial advisor I think! So many things to try and figure out, and so many forms and websites that make me want to fall asleep.

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DECKTHEBALLZ•

Ask Citizens Advice for a benefits check as there will be other things you are entitled to.

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