No, you can only get Carer's Allowance for caring for one person at a time. This benefit is specifically designed to support an individual carer for the care they provide to a single eligible person.
Understanding Carer's Allowance Eligibility
Carer's Allowance is a benefit for people who spend at least 35 hours a week caring for someone who receives certain disability benefits. It's a key support for unpaid carers in the UK.
Key Rules for Carer's Allowance Claims
The fundamental rule regarding Carer's Allowance is that it is linked to the care provided for one specific individual. You cannot claim a single Carer's Allowance payment to cover the care of two or more people.
Here's a breakdown of how this works:
- One Carer, One Cared-for Person: Even if you provide extensive care for multiple people, you can only receive Carer's Allowance for one of them. You must choose which person you are claiming for.
- Multiple Carers in One Household: While one person cannot claim for two, it is possible for more than one person living in the same household to claim Carer's Allowance. However, each of these claimants must be caring for a different eligible person. For example, if you care for your disabled child and your partner cares for their disabled parent who lives with you, both you and your partner could potentially claim Carer's Allowance, as you are caring for separate individuals.
Practical Scenarios
To illustrate the rule, consider these examples:
- Scenario 1: You care for two individuals.
- If you care for your disabled mother and your disabled father, you can only claim Carer's Allowance for either your mother or your father, not both simultaneously. You would need to choose which person to claim for, usually based on which provides the most benefit to you (e.g., if one receives a higher rate of a qualifying disability benefit, or if choosing one allows another benefit like Pension Credit to be paid at a higher rate).
- Scenario 2: Two carers in the same household.
- You live with your adult daughter who has a disability, and your spouse lives with you and cares for them. You also have a disabled child who lives with you, and you care for them. In this case, your spouse could claim Carer's Allowance for your daughter, and you could claim Carer's Allowance for your child, as you are both caring for different eligible individuals.
The table below summarizes the claiming structure:
| Scenario | Who is Claiming Carer's Allowance? | Who is Being Cared For? | Is Carer's Allowance Possible? |
|---|---|---|---|
| You care for one eligible person. | You | Person A | Yes (if conditions met) |
| You care for two eligible people. | You | Person A and Person B | No (only for one of them) |
| Two people in the same household each care for a different eligible person. | You | Person A | Yes (if conditions met) |
| Your Partner | Person B | Yes (if conditions met) |
Carer's Allowance is designed to acknowledge and provide some financial support for the significant commitment involved in caring for a single person with a disability.
