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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics

Unpaid carers lose out in benefits gap

Woman opening an empty wallet
A complex benefits system means many carers can end up ineligible for carer’s allowance. Photograph: courtneyk/Getty Images

Re Jan Pahl’s letter (12 April) illustrating the very low value that carer’s allowance (CA) places on unpaid carers’ contributions to the care of their families, the gap between entitlement to and eligibility for CA is further proof of this. In 2022-23, 1.3 million people were deemed to be entitled to claim CA, but nearly 400,000 were ineligible because of the complex interactions with the disability benefits received by the person being cared for and/or other benefits received by the carer themselves or another member of the household.
Hilary Land
Emerita professor of family policy, University of Bristol

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