Your options here depend, firstly, on whether or not you are getting Guarantee Pension Credit already.
If you are already getting Guarantee Pension Credit
- You need to inform the Pension Service that you have been awarded Carer’s Allowance
- The bad news is that because Carer’s Allowance counts as income, your Guarantee Pension Credit will be reduced by the amount of the Carer’s Allowance, i.e. £62.70
- On the other hand, because you are now classed as a carer you are entitled to an extra £34.95 Pension Credit per week
- In other words the net effect is that you are £34.95 better off per week
- You might be slightly better off than that, if you already have other income, such as a pension, as the Carer’s Allowance may increase your entitlement to Savings Pension Credit, but this cannot be more than an additional £13.20 if you're single, or £14.90 if you're part of a couple.
If you are not already getting Pension Credit
It may be worth claiming it...- If you aren’t getting it because you haven’t tried claiming it before, claim it now!
- If you aren’t getting Guarantee Pension Credit because your other income is too high, you might think that you are even less entitled now because your income is now even higher. However you could be wrong. For example, if you are currently getting reduced Pension Credit because of a state retirement pension, you won’t actually receive any Carer’s Allowance because of something called the ‘overlapping benefit rules’. As you are now entitled to a maximum Pension Credit that is £34.95 more than before, this may mean that you are now entitled to Guarantee Pension Credit when you were not entitled before.
- You may also now possibly be entitled to Savings Pension Credit, although this cannot be more than an extra £14.82 if you're single, or £17.43 if you're part of a couple.
- To claim Pension Credit phone the Pensions Service on 0800 99 1234 or contact them online at www.gov.uk/pension-credit/how-to-claim.