Universal Credit Carers Element

1) What the Carer’s Element is

The Carer’s Element is an extra monthly amount added to your Universal Credit payment if you care for someone who is disabled or seriously ill. It helps support people who spend a lot of time looking after someone and may find it difficult to work full time.

You don’t have to be a professional carer or related to the person you look after. You just need to provide regular unpaid care for someone who receives a qualifying disability benefit.

Universal Credit is made up of different parts called elements. You start with a standard allowance, and then add extra elements depending on your circumstances. The Carer’s Element is one of those extras. It can make a big difference to your income if you are providing care regularly.

2) Who qualifies for the Carer’s Element

You may qualify for the Carer’s Element if all of these apply:

• You are getting Universal Credit.
• You look after someone who gets a qualifying disability benefit.
• You provide care for at least 35 hours a week.
• You are not paid to care for them (it must be unpaid care).
• You do not earn too much if you also claim Carer’s Allowance (more about this below).

Who the person you care for must be

The person you care for can be anyone — a family member, partner, friend, or neighbour — as long as they get one of these benefits:

• Personal Independence Payment (PIP) daily living component
• Disability Living Allowance (DLA) middle or higher rate care component
• Attendance Allowance
• Armed Forces Independence Payment
• Constant Attendance Allowance (at or above the normal maximum rate)

They don’t have to live with you, but the care you give must be regular and ongoing.

3) How much you can get

For the 2025–26 financial year, the Carer’s Element is around £198.31 per month. This is on top of your usual Universal Credit amount. The exact figure can change each April, so check the latest rate on the GOV.UK Universal Credit page.

You only get one Carer’s Element per person, even if you care for more than one person. If you and your partner both care for separate people, you may each be able to get one Carer’s Element — see the section on couples for more details.

4) How to claim and report caring

If you already get Universal Credit, you can add the Carer’s Element by updating your claim:

1. Log in to your Universal Credit account.
2. Go to “Report a change in circumstances”.
3. Select “Caring for someone” and follow the questions.
4. Provide details about who you care for and what benefit they receive.
5. Upload evidence if asked (for example, a letter showing their PIP or DLA award).

If you are making a new UC claim, you can add this information at the start of your application.

5) The 35-hour rule explained

You must care for someone for at least 35 hours each week to get the Carer’s Element. Those hours can be spread throughout the week and include things like:

• Helping them dress, wash, or eat.
• Doing their shopping or housework.
• Helping them get to medical appointments.
• Keeping them company or providing supervision.
• Organising their medication or bills.

The hours don’t have to be consecutive, and the person doesn’t have to live with you. But the care must be regular and substantial. Occasional visits or help once in a while will not count.

6) Who you can care for and qualifying benefits

The person you care for must get a qualifying disability benefit. You will need to know which one it is when you add the Carer’s Element to your UC claim. These include:

• Personal Independence Payment (PIP) — daily living component (either standard or enhanced rate).
• Disability Living Allowance (DLA) — care component at the middle or highest rate.
• Attendance Allowance — for people over State Pension age who need care.
• Armed Forces Independence Payment (AFIP) or Constant Attendance Allowance at or above the normal maximum rate.

You can still claim the Carer’s Element even if the person you care for is not part of your household, as long as they get one of these benefits and you provide regular unpaid care.

7) Carer’s Element vs Carer’s Allowance

People often confuse Carer’s Allowance and the Carer’s Element. They are separate, but linked.

Carer’s Allowance is a standalone benefit worth around £81.90 a week (as of 2025–26). It is paid by the Department for Work and Pensions and is separate from Universal Credit. It has an earnings limit — if you earn more than around £151 a week (after certain deductions), you can’t get it.

Carer’s Element is part of Universal Credit. It doesn’t have a strict earnings limit, but your total UC will still be reduced if you earn more. You can get the Carer’s Element even if you don’t qualify for Carer’s Allowance due to your earnings.

You can sometimes get both at the same time, but UC will reduce to make sure you’re not paid twice for the same caring role. The DWP automatically offsets Carer’s Allowance against UC payments.

8) How the Carer’s Element works with other UC elements

The Carer’s Element is one of several extras that can be added to your Universal Credit award. It can sit alongside others such as:

• The LCWRA (Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity) element if you have your own health condition — but not both for the same person.
• The child element if you have children.
• The housing costs element if you pay rent or a mortgage.
• The childcare costs element if you pay for childcare while working.

You can’t usually get both the Carer’s Element and the LCWRA element for the same person in the same month. If both apply, you will get whichever is higher — usually the LCWRA amount. However, your partner can get one while you get the other.

9) If you and your partner both care for someone

Universal Credit is calculated for your household. If you and your partner both provide care, you may each be able to get a Carer’s Element if:

• You each care for a different person, and
• Each person you care for gets a qualifying disability benefit.

If you both care for the same person, only one of you can get the Carer’s Element. You can decide which one of you it should be — usually whichever makes the household claim better off.

10) Working while claiming the Carer’s Element

You can work and still get the Carer’s Element, but your UC payment will go down as your earnings increase. The good news is that carers often get a work allowance — the amount you can earn before UC starts to reduce.

If you also have children or pay for housing, your work allowance might be higher. You can check current work allowance rates on GOV.UK.

There is no strict earnings limit for the Carer’s Element itself, unlike Carer’s Allowance. But your overall UC will taper down by 55p for every £1 you earn above your allowance.

11) Reporting changes and keeping your claim correct

You must tell Universal Credit if anything changes that could affect your Carer’s Element, for example:

• You stop caring for 35 hours a week.
• The person you care for goes into hospital or residential care for a long time.
• The person you care for stops getting their disability benefit.
• You start or stop working.
• Your relationship or living situation changes.

You can report these changes in your UC online journal. Reporting quickly helps prevent overpayments or missed entitlement.

12) Overpayments and common mistakes

Overpayments happen when DWP pays you too much because your circumstances change and they are not told in time. The most common causes are:

• The person you care for stops receiving PIP or DLA and you don’t report it.
• You start working full-time and forget to update your UC journal.
• You claim both Carer’s Allowance and the Carer’s Element but don’t realise UC will deduct the allowance automatically.

To avoid problems, keep copies of all messages in your UC journal and make sure you report every change quickly. If you are overpaid, contact UC straight away and ask about a repayment plan if needed.

13) Worked examples

Example 1: Single carer

Anna cares for her disabled mother for 40 hours a week. Her mother gets the daily living component of PIP. Anna claims Universal Credit and adds that she is a carer. Her UC includes the Carer’s Element of £198.31 per month. She doesn’t get Carer’s Allowance because her earnings are too high, but the Carer’s Element still helps her.

Example 2: Couple, one carer

James and Lila claim UC together. James works part-time. Lila looks after her disabled brother who receives DLA (middle rate care). Lila adds the Carer’s Element to their joint UC. They receive an extra £198.31 a month. Because James works, their UC reduces slightly, but they remain better off overall.

Example 3: Couple, both carers

Ali and Noor each care for one parent. Both parents receive Attendance Allowance. They each add a Carer’s Element to their joint UC claim, so their household receives two Carer’s Elements in total. This increases their monthly payment by about £396.62.

Example 4: Switching to LCWRA

Sarah looks after her husband and gets the Carer’s Element. A few months later, her own health worsens, and she’s assessed as having Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity. She can’t get both for herself in the same month, so UC gives her the higher LCWRA amount instead.

14) Frequently asked questions