Carers' benefits and financial support

Benefits for carers

Allowances for carers and people with disabilities are a right. They shouldn't be thought of as charity or a 'handout'. However, the only way you will usually receive benefits will be to make a formal claim on behalf of you and the person you care for.

The GOV.UK website has full information about the various benefits you may be entitled to as a carer. This includes:

• Carer's Allowance
• Carer's Credit
• Universal Credit
• Pension Credit

Each benefit has different eligibility criteria, so please visit the links above to find out more. You might find the NHS benefits for carers guide useful. You can also find advice on benefits on the Carers UK website and the Carers Trust website.

GOV.UK also explains benefits if you're disabled or have a health condition. You can use the benefit calculators recommended on GOV.UK to check what you might be entitled to.

You can also find out about household support fund and housing benefit on our benefits pages.
 

You can find more guidance on financial support for you and the person you care for in our information for carer's booklet [2MB] .

Leaving work to care for someone

If you're considering leaving work because it's difficult to combine employment and caring, it might be possible to change your working pattern and reduce your hours. Carers UK website explains The Flexible Working Act 2023 and the Carer's Leave Act 2023. These acts came into effect in April 2024 and aim to help carers have more flexibility at work.

Carers UK also have advice if you're thinking of leaving work.

Managing the finances of the person you care for

If the person you care for is unable to manage their finances themselves, they may need you or someone else to do it form them. Whoever manages their finances will need you need to have legal authority to do so. This is known as a lasting power of attorney (LPA)

You can find out about managing the finances of someone else here.

You can find more guidance on legal matters in our information for carer's booklet [2MB] .

Help from the council

Financial support for the person you care for

If the person you care for receives a chargeable non-residential care service from West Berkshire Council, they will be referred to the Financial Assessment and Charging Team. The team can help to make sure that they receive all the benefits they are entitled to. You can find more information on our charges for adult social care from the council page.

If the person you care for funds their own care, see our funding your care page.

If you'd like to know more about the assessment process, visit our care needs assessment and eligibility page.

Financial support for carers

See our support for carer's from the council page for information on carer's assessments and eligibility for support from us.

If you are not eligible for support from the council, you will need to pay for any chargeable services you receive. 

Council Tax

Depending on your household and your circumstances, you may be able to get a reduction or discount on your Council Tax.

Visit our Council Tax reduction, discounts and exemptions page to find out more. You can also find out about household support fund and housing benefit on our benefits pages.

Help with the cost of living

Visit our Cost of living support pages for advice on financial support, food costs and money saving tips. Or, you can visit the GOV.UK cost of living webpages.

If you need help figuring out what you might be entitled to, contact us using our online enquiry form. You can also get in touch with Citizens Advice West Berkshire for advice on what help you can get.