Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason Carers' Allowance is not paid to people that have reached state pensionable age.

There is no upper age limit to claiming Carer’s Allowance, but it cannot normally be paid with the State Pension. Carer’s Allowance provides a measure of replacement income where the duties of caring for a severely disabled person limit the prospect of full-time work and the earnings it would yield. State Pension provides a replacement income in retirement.

It is a long-standing and basic principle of the social security system that only one benefit at a time can be paid for the same purpose. Even though the circumstances which give rise to entitlement to Carer’s Allowance and State Pension are different, they are both designed to provide a degree of replacement for lost or foregone income.

The overlapping benefits rules, which prevent both benefits being paid, were established to reflect the general principle that flat-rate benefits designed to help with income maintenance e.g. Carer’s Allowance and State Pension, should not be added together and paid in full, even though a person may qualify for both. However, if a carer’s State Pension is less than Carer's Allowance, State Pension is paid and topped up with Carer's Allowance to the basic weekly rate of Carer's Allowance which, from April 2019, increased to £66.15.