Financial help for dementia caregivers in the UK
If you care for someone with dementia in the UK, the main routes are Carer's Allowance, Carer's Credit, and Attendance Allowance for the person you care for. Each has its own rules, and one can affect another.
What support exists in the UK
Carer's Allowance
£86.45 a week from 6 April 2026 for carers providing at least 35 hours of care a week, where the person cared for receives a qualifying disability benefit.
There is an earnings limit of £204 a week after allowable deductions. Earning above it means you cannot get Carer's Allowance for that week — the cut-off is a cliff edge, not a taper.
Carer's Credit
A National Insurance credit for carers providing at least 20 hours of care a week. It doesn't pay money, but it helps protect gaps in your National Insurance record toward the State Pension.
Attendance Allowance
A benefit for the person you care for, if they are over State Pension age and need help with personal care or supervision. It is not means-tested and can be a qualifying benefit for Carer's Allowance.
Figures and rules change. Confirm current amounts and eligibility with the official source before you rely on them.
How to apply
- 1
Check first whether the person you care for already gets a qualifying disability benefit — Carer's Allowance depends on it.
- 2
If they don't, look at whether Attendance Allowance (or the relevant disability benefit for their age) may apply to them.
- 3
Work out your average weekly care hours and your weekly earnings after allowable deductions, so you know which carer support fits.
- 4
Apply for Carer's Allowance, or Carer's Credit if your hours or earnings mean Carer's Allowance won't work.
- 5
Check how a carer benefit interacts with other benefits in your household before claiming — sometimes it reduces another payment.
Spouses and other family members
You do not have to be related to, or live with, the person you care for to claim Carer's Allowance — but you cannot be paid for the same period as another carer claiming for the same person. In Scotland, Carer Support Payment has replaced Carer's Allowance for new claims.
Go deeper on UK carer benefits
This page is an overview. The detailed eligibility rules and application walkthroughs live in our full guides.
Get organized before you apply
Dementia care generates paperwork slowly and constantly — appointment letters, assessment dates, medication changes, receipts, hours of unpaid support. Applications go smoother when that history is already in one place instead of reconstructed from memory.
Hours of support, check-ins, and day-to-day help logged as they happen.
Assessments, letters, and forms stored together and easy to find again.
Out-of-pocket costs and trips to appointments captured as you go.
Official sources
This page is general information, not legal, tax, medical, or financial advice. Payment amounts, eligibility rules, and application processes change — confirm details with the official body or a qualified adviser before making decisions.