Financial help

Carers UK estimates that 7 out of 10 carers worry about their finances. One in every three have trouble paying utility bills and 1 in 5 carers report having to cut back on essentials like food.

As well as your own living costs there are also the hidden costs of care such as bus, train and petrol costs if you are travelling a lot.

As a carer the good news is you may be entitled to a range of benefits and financial help, including Carers Allowance. The person you are caring for may also be able to claim benefits which will help with the cost of their care. You need to be aware that if you claim Carer's Allowance, this may reduce the benefits available to the person you are providing care for, so make sure you receive guidance from a source such as Carer's UK when applying.

The benefits system is complicated. Around £843 million in carer benefits went unclaimed in 2010 (source: Carers UK) – partly because finding out about them and claiming them can be such a daunting task. There are also many rules to receiving benefits, especially those linked to the carer or the person they provide care for.

Breaking the task down into smaller, more manageable steps, and getting expert help, could help.

Step 1 Find out what financial help is available:

• Carers UK has detailed information about the main benefits for carers and the people they look after
• see Arthritis Care’s benefits pages on this website for more details on the main benefits for people with arthritis

Step 2 Get expert help:

• if you have asked for a health and social care assessment, this may highlight specific financial needs and you will be put in touch with the relevant people who can help
• remember, benefits and the rules that govern them may be different in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Your local Citizens Advice Bureau will usually be able to talk you through the benefits you can claim and may help you with the applications

Step 3 Check what benefits you could be entitled to:

• when claiming Carer's Allowance, you will not be able to apply for some benefits under most circumstances. These benefits include Contributory Employment and Support Allowance, Maternity Allowance, State Retirement Pension and Jobseeker's Allowance, among others. If you are already claiming one of these benefits, sometimes you may be able to receive a Carer's Allowance premium on top of the benefit - but this is in exceptional circumstances.
  
• some benefits you might claim as a carer could affect the amount of money the person you care for gets. Arthritis Care’s benefits information sheet has more details, or you could talk to the Arthritis Care helpline on: 0808 800 4050 (10am-4pm weekdays)