Carer's Allowance
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people receiving Carer’s Allowance are aware that taxable benefits in kind, including employer contributions to private health schemes, may be treated as earnings for the purposes of the Carer’s Allowance earnings limit.
Answered by Sir Stephen Timms
Information on the treatment of earnings in Carer’s Allowance is available on GOV.UK and is also provided in the letter sent when entitlement is awarded, as well as in annual uprating letters. Where unpaid carers have further questions, they can contact the Carer’s Allowance Unit for advice and clarification. Where further information is required, DWP decision makers may contact the individual to establish what is reasonable in view of the carer’s employment.
The Department continues to consider how Carer’s Allowance rules could be modernised going forward and communications continue to be improved.
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