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You are not paid for the care you provide, but you may be able to get financial support to help you.

Benefits

Getting a benefit check will help you make sure that you and the person you are looking after are claiming all the benefits you are entitled to.

Benefits can help protect your state pension entitlement and increase your household income.

You can get a benefit check online at  or .

Carer's Allowance

Carer's Allowance is the main benefit available to carers, and is the main source of independent financial support if you are caring full time and unpaid.

For more information on how it works, eligibility and to make a claim visit the government's website:

Attendance Allowance

Attendance Allowance is a benefit for the person with a disability or illness to help with their care needs.

If you are a carer who has care needs, you can claim Attendance Allowance for yourself. This will not affect your Carer's Allowance.

To find out if you're eligible and how to claim, visit the government's website:

Carer's Credit

Carer's Credit protects your State Pension rights if you are caring for someone, but are not paying National Insurance contributions through paid work and are unable to claim Carer's Allowance.

You don't get paid any money if you claim Carer's Credit. 

For more information and to check if you're eligible, visit the government's website:

Benefits for the person you are looking after

The person you are looking after may be able to get disability benefits to help pay for the extra costs of long-term illness or disability.

For more information, contact the Welfare Support Team.

Where you can go for support

• South Tyneside Welfare Support Service
  Provides debt, benefit and money advice. The service is free, impartial and confidential and available to everyone living in South Tyneside.
• South Tyneside Citizen's Advice Bureau
  Provide free, confidential and impartial advice on debt, finance, welfare benefits, housing, employment, immigration, consumer, taxes, family, utilities, education, health and community care matters.
• Age Concern Tyneside South (ACTS)
  Can provide information on benefit, income and money management.

Help with Council Tax

If you're caring for someone you may be able to get help with your Council Tax bill.

This is called 'Council Tax Support'.

For more information and to apply see:

Council Tax Support

Help with health costs

If you are getting certain benefits you may be able to get help with costs for NHS services.

This includes:

• free prescriptions.
• free dental treatments.
• free NHS eye tests and vouchers to help pay for glasses/contact lenses.
• getting money back on travel to hospital for treatment for you or your child. You can also claim for someone who needs to travel with you for medical reasons.

If you are aged 60 and over, you can get free prescriptions and NHS eye tests no matter what your income is.

If you aren't getting benefits where you can get help with NHS health costs, but you have a low income, you may be able to get help with health costs through the .

Prepayment certificates for prescriptions can also reduce costs if you regularly pay for medication.

Help with transport costs

There are lots of organisations and services that can help you with transport and travel costs.