GUIDANCE FOR CARERS
GENERAL:
If you require general information on being a Carer in Hackney, please go to http://www.hackney.gov.uk/carers.htm .
COUNCIL TAX GUIDANCE FOR CARERS:
Do I pay full Council Tax if a carer lives with me?
If a carer lives with you in your property, and you are the only two residents over 18 years old, then you may be entitled to a Council Tax Discount of 25%. To be eligible, the carer:
· must provide at least 35 hours a week of care.
· must not be married to you or living with you as a partner.
· must not be the parent of the person for whom the care is being provided, if that person is under 18.
In addition, the person receiving care must be entitled to receive one of the following:
· higher rate of the care component of Disability Living Allowance
· higher rate of Attendance Allowance
· an increased Disablement Pension
· an increased Constant Attendance Allowance
Do I have to pay Council Tax if I leave my own property empty to provide care for someone somewhere else?
If you leave your property unnoccupied because you are providing care for someone elsewhere, you may be exempt from paying Council Tax on your property. To apply for this exemption, you should initially write to: London Borough of Hackney, Council Tax Section, Hackney Service Centre, 1 Hillman Street, London E8 1DY. Your letter should include:
· the date that you vacated your property.
· confirmation that your property has remained unoccupied since.
· confirmation that you left to provide care for someone elsewhere.
· the name of the person for whom you are providing care.
· evidence of your occupation of the away address, (such as a personal bill, etc.).
· information about the level and type of care you are providing
· confirmation as to whether you intend eventually to return to your own address.
Provided that proof of eligibility to either the discount or the exemption is supplied, then either may be awarded retrospectively as far back as 1993.
Should you be dissatisfied with the Council Tax Section's decision in respect of an application for either a discount or an exemption, you may appeal in writing to the Hackney Service Centre address given above. The Council will then review your case and respond. If you remain dissatisfied with the Council's decision, the response will provide you with full details as to how to progress your appeal to a Valuation Tribunal, who will then review your case independently.
For more information about any Council Tax matters, please contact the Council Tax Section direct, either by telephone on 0208 356 3154 , or by e-mail to
* * * * * * * *
In addition to reductions to the Council Tax liability by way of Discounts/Exemptions, you may also be eligible to receive Housing and/or Council Tax Benefit.
HOUSING AND COUNCIL TAX BENEFIT
GUIDANCE FOR CARERS
I am a carer, am I entitled to increased Housing/Council Tax Benefit?
Your entitlement may increase if you are entitled to a “Carer Premium” in your benefit assessment. Carer Premium is awarded for either or both the claimant and partner, therefore it can be included twice in one award, where the claimant and/or partner -
· receives, or has underlying entitlement to, Carer’s Allowance*, or
· was entitled, or ceased to have underlying entitlement, to Carers Allowance within the last eight weeks
Where a person qualifies for more than one state benefit, he/she may receive only the highest value benefit, but retains an underlying entitlement to all of the state benefits for which he/she qualifies. Having this underlying entitlement, as well as the actual receipt of a state benefit, is a qualifying condition in order to be awarded Carer Premium
* Carer's Allowance was called Invalid Care Allowance before 28th October 2002
Does an award of Carer’s Allowance affect the HB/CTB entitlement of the person I am caring for?
Yes, there may be an effect, but any backdated award of Carer’s Allowance for the period before the first payment will be disregarded to ensure that any overpayments are minimised.
Are there any other ways in which HB/CTB could be higher for carers or the person they care for?
Non-Dependant Deductions
Your benefit will not be reduced by a “non dependant deduction” if you have a carer living with you. A non-dependant deduction is a reduction to your benefit because of another person over 18 being in the property who is not your partner and who is not dependant on you.
The benefit regulations define a carer as someone who is:
· caring for the claimant or partner.
· provided by a charitable or voluntary organisation that charges the claimant or partner, irrespective of whether financial assistance is provided to the claimant or partner to pay the charges.
Earned income disregards for carers
The first £20 of the earnings of a carer are disregarded in the HB/CTB calculation, as opposed to the usual earnings disregard figure of £5 for a single person and £10 for a couple
For more information about Housing & Council Tax Benefit please contact the Benefits Service direct, either by telephone on 0208 356 3399, or by e-mail to
Do I qualify for Carer’s Allowance?
Carer’s Allowance is a state benefit, awarded to a person who is at least 16 years old and who spends at least 35 hours weekly caring for a disabled person. The carer need not be related to, or live with, the person being cared for.
Carer’s Allowance is awarded for as long as the carer is providing care for the disabled person. The ’caring week’ runs from Sunday to Saturday, so that a carer may be entitled to Carer’s Allowance where the minimum 35 hours care provision per week is provided over a weekend only.
Carer’s Allowance is a non-Contributory State Benefit, which means that a person’s National Insurance Contribution record is not taken into account.
To qualify for the allowance, the person providing care must:
· have been resident in Great Britain, Northern Ireland or the Isle of Man for at least 26 weeks at any time in the 12 months prior to the date of claim.
· not be subject to immigration control.
· be aged at least 16 years,
· be caring for a person receiving Attendance Allowance, Constant Attendance Allowance or Disability Living Allowance - Care Component at the middle or higher rate.
· provide care that is regular and substantial for at least 35 hours per week.
· not be gainfully employed or in full time education.
Where two people care for the same person only one may claim Carer’s Allowance.
Where a carer looks after more than one disabled person, the total hours spent providing care to each may not be added together towards the 35 hours minimum requirement. The carer must provide care for one person for at least 35 hours per week.
Carer’s Allowance may be claimed by more than one person in a household, i.e. by each member of a couple who care for each other.
To request a claim form, please contact the Carer's Allowance Unit. Their address is:
Carer's Allowance Unit
Palatine House
Lancaster Road
Preston
PR1 1HB
Telephone: 01253 856 123
Text phone: 01772 562 202
You can contact these numbers between 8.30 am and 5.00 pm Monday to Thursday, and between 8.30 am and 4.30 pm on Fridays.
Fax: 01772 899 354
Email:
If you need the form in Braille, large print or on audio tape, then this can be arranged for you.
If your first language is not English, please ask for information about the interpreter service.
The Direct.Gov.UK website also contains information regarding Carers Allowance. For your convenience, a link to this site is provided below:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/CaringForSomeone/MoneyMatters/DG_10012522