You could lose Carer’s Allowance if you fail to report changes

Carer’s Allowance is a benefit given to Britons who provide unpaid care for another person such as a family member or friend and is designed to help them financially if they meet the certain eligibility requirements. To be eligible for the benefit, people must be caring for someone else for at least 35 hours a week, be over the age of 16 years and not earn more than £132 a week from employment or self-employment. This is after deductions for income tax, National Insurance and for pensions.However, the DWP can take away the financial support if claimants do not report changes to their circumstances.Changes which need to be reported to the Government department include if a carer starts a new job and cannot provide the full 35 hours of care a week, and if a carer begins or is about the end full-time education.People will also need to report any income changes to the DWP, if they decide to stop being an unpaid carer entirely, and if the person they are caring for dies.Notably, if a person someone is caring for no longer gets their disability benefit, their unpaid carer will not be entitled to Carer’s Allowance payments.READ MORE: Rishi Sunak plays games with triple lock while pensioners struggle People claiming Carer’s Allowance will need to report certain changes in their life to the DWP (Image: GETTY)Britons can only claim the allowance if the person they care for claims one of the ‘qualifying benefits’.These include Attendance Allowance, Constant Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Personal Independence Payment (PIP), or Armed Forces Independence Payment.If the person being cared for no longer claims one of these benefits then it needs to be reported to the DWP.If the person who is being cared for claims Severe Disability Premium (SDP) then this payment of £69.40 a week could be stopped when Carer’s Allowance has been claimed.DON’T MISS:’Rishi could run out of luck if he dares to ditch triple lock’ [INSIGHT]State pension age warning as Government may change policy again [GUIDE]Free bus pass in jeopardy due to rising state pension age [WARNING] What is Carer’s Allowance? (Image: EXPRESS)They must also provide details of any expenses, for example, pension contributions or the cost of caring for your children or the disabled person while they’re at work.People who are studying must also provide their course details. It usually takes between three to six weeks to receive the DWP’s decision on a Carer’s Allowance claim and the current decision turnaround for Carer’s Allowance is 37 days. If a person’s Carer’s Allowance claim is successful, they may also be able to backdate their claim for up to three months.