Carer's Allowance Calculator
£86.45 a Week & the £204 Earnings Limit
Check if you qualify for Carer's Allowance in 2026-27, how much you could earn and still get it, and what happens with State Pension or Universal Credit.
Read the full answer — method, rates and figures
Quick answer: Carer's Allowance is £86.45 a week (£4,495 a year) in 2026-27. You can get it if you care for someone for at least 35 hours a week, they get a qualifying disability benefit such as the daily living part of PIP or Attendance Allowance, and you earn £204 a week or less after tax, National Insurance and expenses.
Half of your pension contributions are deducted, and up to half of what is left can be deducted for paying someone outside the family to provide care while you work, so take-home pay can be as high as £408 a week and still qualify. Earn £1 over the limit and you lose that whole week's payment.
If your State Pension is more than £86.45 nothing is paid, but "underlying entitlement" can add £48.15 a week to Pension Credit. In Scotland, claim Carer Support Payment instead.
Sources: GOV.UK and DWP DS700 notes, read 6 October 2026.
How much can you earn on Carer's Allowance?
More than £204 of take-home pay, if you have deductions. Take home £230 a week, pay £20 into a pension and £30 for care while you work: your counted earnings are £190, under the £204 limit, so you get £86.45 a week and could earn £14 more.
Qualify?
Yes
Paid a week
£86.45
Counted earnings
£190
Room to earn more
£14
Counted earnings: £230 take-home, less £10 (half your pension contributions), less £30 of care costs = £190 against the £204 limit.
You qualify: £86.45 a week, £4,495 a year. You could take home £14 more a week before reaching the limit.
Keep the household's money in one place
Caring changes the whole budget. Richify keeps your savings, pensions, property and benefits in one net-worth view, so you can see where the household stands at a glance.
Carer's Allowance a year
£4,495
Paid a week
£86.45
Counted earnings
£190
Room to earn more
£14
Last reviewed 7 October 2026 by the Richify AI agent team.
Reviewed by Felix, Richify's AI CFO — an AI author, presented as one.
This is the textbook answer. Want to see this calculated against your actual accounts?
Connect them to Richify →Caring Takes Time. Your Money Shouldn't.
Richify keeps your savings, pensions, property and benefits in one simple net-worth view, so you can see the household's whole picture in seconds. 7-day free trial, no ads.
Try Richify freeHow it works
Counted earnings = take-home pay (after income tax and National Insurance) minus half of your pension contributions, minus paid care while you work of up to half of what is left. You qualify on earnings if that is £204 a week or less. The other tests: at least 35 hours of care a week, the person you care for gets a qualifying benefit, you are 16 or over, and you are not in full-time education (21+ hours of study a week).
Payment = £86.45 a week, less any State Pension (overlapping benefits). Assumes regular weekly earnings: if your pay varies, DWP averages it over a period, and some other work expenses may be allowed. Residence and immigration conditions are not checked here.
Can I work and get Carer's Allowance?
| Take-home a week | No deductions | £60 paid care |
|---|---|---|
| £150 | Yes (£150) | Yes (£90) |
| £204 | Yes (£204) | Yes (£144) |
| £230 | No (£230) | Yes (£170) |
| £260 | No (£260) | Yes (£200) |
| £300 | No (£300) | No (£240) |
Counted earnings in brackets, against the £204 limit, 2026-27. "£60 paid care" = £60 a week to a non-family carer while you work, of which up to half of your earnings is allowed. Pension contributions would raise the limit further (half of them is deducted).
Carer's Allowance, State Pension and underlying entitlement
Carer's Allowance and State Pension overlap: if your State Pension is more than £86.45 a week, you are not paid any Carer's Allowance. It is still worth claiming. You can be awarded "underlying entitlement", which DWP describes as meeting every condition while the law stops the payment. That unlocks the carer amount of £48.15 a week in Pension Credit (see the Pension Credit calculator) and a carer premium in Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction. Because nothing is actually paid, the person you care for keeps their severe disability amount. If your State Pension is below £86.45, you get the difference as Carer's Allowance. Check when your own State Pension starts with the State Pension age calculator.
Carer's Allowance and Universal Credit
Universal Credit counts Carer's Allowance as income and reduces your award by the full amount. Separately, Universal Credit can add a carer element of £209.34 a month for caring for someone who gets a disability-related benefit, whether or not you get Carer's Allowance. Work out the whole award with the Universal Credit calculator.
Which benefits does the person you care for need?
- Personal Independence Payment (daily living component)
- Disability Living Allowance (middle or highest care rate)
- Attendance Allowance
- Pension Age Disability Payment
- Adult Disability Payment (daily living component)
- Child Disability Payment (middle or highest care rate)
- Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance (middle or highest care rate)
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
- Constant Attendance Allowance (with Industrial Injuries or War Disablement Pension)
Only one person can get Carer's Allowance (or the Universal Credit carer amount) for caring for the same person, and you are paid for one person however many you care for.
Last updated: 6 October 2026, 2026-27 rates.
Primary sources: GOV.UK Carer's Allowance, Eligibility and Effect on other benefits; DWP DS700 Carer's Allowance notes and DS700(SP) notes for State Pension claimants; DWP Government response to the Independent Review of Carer's Allowance Overpayments (November 2025).
How to use this calculator
- Enter your weekly take-home pay after income tax and National Insurance (0 if you do not work).
- Add weekly pension contributions and any paid care while you work.
- Enter the hours you care each week and confirm the person you care for gets a qualifying benefit.
- Add your weekly State Pension if you get one.
- Read whether you qualify, how much is paid, and how much more you could earn.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
How much is Carer's Allowance in 2026?
£86.45 a week for 2026-27, which is £4,495 a year. You only get one payment however many people you care for.
It also gives you Class 1 National Insurance credits towards your State Pension.
How much can I earn and still get Carer's Allowance?
£204 a week after income tax, National Insurance and expenses. Two deductions raise the real limit: half of what you pay into a personal or workplace pension, and up to half of the rest of your earnings if you pay someone outside your family to look after the person you care for (or your children) while you work.
With no deductions the limit is £204 of take-home pay; with enough paid care it can reach £408.
What happens if I earn over the Carer's Allowance limit?
You lose the whole week's £86.45, not just the amount you went over, so earning £1 too much costs you £86.45. You must tell the Carer's Allowance Unit about any change in earnings, or you can build up an overpayment you have to repay.
The government has said it will introduce an earnings taper to replace this cliff edge, but that is a plan, not law, and has no start date.
Can I get Carer's Allowance and State Pension?
Usually not both in full. If your State Pension is more than £86.45 a week, no Carer's Allowance is paid, but you can still claim and be awarded "underlying entitlement".
That is worth having on a low income: it adds a carer amount of £48.15 a week to Pension Credit, and a carer premium to Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction. If your State Pension is less than £86.45, you are paid the difference.
Does Carer's Allowance affect Universal Credit?
Yes. Universal Credit is reduced by the full amount of Carer's Allowance you are paid.
But Universal Credit has its own carer element of £209.34 a month for caring for someone on a disability benefit, which you can get whether or not you get Carer's Allowance. So for many Universal Credit households the cash difference is small; Carer's Allowance mainly adds Class 1 National Insurance credits.
Will my Carer's Allowance affect the person I care for?
It can. If you are paid Carer's Allowance, the person you care for may lose a severe disability premium or the severe disability amount in their Pension Credit, and their Council Tax Reduction can change.
Their PIP, DLA or Attendance Allowance is never reduced. If you only have underlying entitlement (nothing actually paid, for example because of your State Pension), their benefits are not affected.
More Free Financial Calculators
Net Worth Calculator
Assets minus liabilities, including your home — and where that puts you in the UK.
💷Take-Home Pay Calculator
Income Tax, National Insurance and student loan on 2026-27 rates, England and Scotland.
🏡Lifetime ISA Calculator
The 25% government bonus, the £450,000 property cap, and the withdrawal charge.
🏘️Stamp Duty Calculator
SDLT on current bands, with first-time-buyer relief and the additional-property surcharge.
🗓️Making Tax Digital Checker
Are you in scope? The threshold is gross turnover, not profit — and HMRC has begun signing people up.
📊Capital Gains Tax Calculator
CGT on property and shares, with the annual exempt amount and reporting deadlines.
🔥FIRE Calculator
Find out when you could reach financial independence.
Further Reading
Caring Takes Time. Your Money Shouldn't.
Richify keeps your savings, pensions, property and benefits in one simple net-worth view, so you can see the household's whole picture in seconds. 7-day free trial, no ads.
Try Richify freeSee the household's money in one placeTrack my money
Free in the Richify app