Claiming benefits whilst in a care home
Benefits that you can claim while in care home
Some benefits are not affected by being in a care home but they will usually count as income when we calculate your contribution.
You may be entitled to benefits that you are currently not claiming. This may include:
- Attendance Allowance for the first 4 weeks of your stay
- Disability Living Allowance Care Component for the first 4 weeks of your stay
- Pension Credit
- Employment Support Allowance
- Universal Credit
We will assume that you are receiving all the income that you are entitled to when we calculate your contribution. Details of the benefits and amounts we assume you are receiving will be in the Financial Assessment letter we send you.
If you are not receiving these benefits you should make a claim immediately. If your claim is not successful you will need to contact us to discuss a revision to your contribution.
When you enter a care home (either temporarily or permanently) you can continue to receive the following benefits:
- State Pension
- The mobility part of Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment
- Incapacity Benefit / Employment Support Allowance Contribution Based
- Universal Credit
- Severe Disablement Allowance
- Bereavement Allowance
- Widowed Parent’s Allowance
- Widow’s Pension
- Widowed Mother’s Allowance
- Child Tax Credit (if you continue to be responsible for a child).
Benefits affected by being in a care home
Attendance Allowance & care part of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
These are benefits paid to people who need help with personal care or people who need supervision.
Attendance Allowance and the care part of DLA and PIP are only paid for the first 28 days of your stay in a care home (whether temporary or permanent), including time spent in hospital. This will be included when we work out your contribution.
If you are not receiving these benefits you should make a claim for the first 4 weeks of your stay in the care home.
If you are self-funding or have a deferred payment agreement, you can continue to receive Attendance Allowance and DLA or PIP Care. This is subject to rules set by the DWP, please contact us for more information.
Carer’s Allowance
This benefit is paid to a carer.
To qualify for Carer’s Allowance, they must spend at least 35 hours a week looking after someone who receives Attendance Allowance,Disability Living Allowance (care part) at the middle or highest rate.
Once this person is in a care home permanently and their AA, DLA or PIP (care part) stops, or they stop caring for at least 35 hours a week, their carers allowance will stop.
If the person they care for continues to receive Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment because, for example, they are self-funding, carer’s allowance will stop after four weeks from the date they go into the care home.
This is because the carer’s allowance rules only allow a set number of weeks for a break in caring.
You are allowed a 12-week break in any 26-week period but only four weeks of that is allowed for temporary breaks in care, for example, because someone is in a care home on a respite stay or on holiday. The other eight weeks are allowed for hospital stays for either the carer or the person who is cared for.
Some carers will be getting a credit amount paid in their benefit because they are entitled to Carer’s Allowance. When the entitlement to Carer’s Allowance stops, the extra amount in Income Support or Pension Credit only continues for a further eight weeks. You should contact the Department for Work and Pensions carers Unit on 0800 731 0297 for more information and to also notify them of any changes.
Pension Credit
When you enter a care home temporarily, your Pension Credit may be affected. If your Attendance Allowance, DLA or PIP ceases and you are in receipt of Severe Disability Premium then your Pension Credit may be reduced.
If you are part of a couple, you will continue to be paid as a couple and the amount will not be affected.
When you enter a care home permanently, you should contact the Pension Service on 0800 99 1234 (textphone: 0800 169 0133), telling them about your change of circumstances and that you have now moved into a Care Home permanently.
They will then work out your Pension Credit and pay it at the correct rate. If you are part of a couple, the Pension Service will treat you as a single person for benefit purposes.
They will treat you and your partner’s income separately and pay you on an individual basis.
After you tell the Pension Service about your change in circumstances, it is very important that your husband, wife or partner claims Pension Credit (Call: 0800 99 1234, Textphone: 0800 169 0133) or Universal Credit/ Job Seekers Allowance (0800 055 6688) in their own right.
Housing Benefit
When you enter a care home permanently, you can no longer receive Housing Benefit for your home in the community. Someone else who lives there may be able to claim Housing Benefit instead.
For temporary stays Housing Benefit can be received for up to 13 weeks of the initial period and for the four weeks’ notice period.
