Unpaid carers, such as Susan Osbourne, are struggling to get by as the cost of living rises, yet carer’s allowance has failed to keep pace with rising earnings.
The 65-year-old from Manchester cares for three people – her husband, who is awaiting a hip replacement, their daughter, who has a traumatic brain injury, and an elderly friend.
Her responsibilities prevent her from working and were once more pressing, caring for her mother who passed in December 2023 and the partner of the friend, who moved into residential care in March 2025.
Speaking to The i Paper, she said: “I had to juggle all these people on a day-to-day basis. Sometimes there weren’t enough hours in the day. Just before my husband became ill, he had to help me.”
She receives £83.70 a week in carer’s allowance, which she has claimed for 15 years, rising only modestly from around £50 a week when she first applied.
It is her sole income, covering bills, her phone, TV package and car, with little left for anything else. She is mortgage-free.
Her biggest expense is her car, which she needs to take those she cares for to appointments. She said: “I need the car to take everyone to their appointments. I get a little help for fuel when doing trips with my daughter – 45p a mile – from the Court of Protection that deal with my daughter’s affairs.
“Obviously now that the cost of living has really gone up, and fuel, it’s making it harder financially.”
The difference between the actual rate of carer’s allowance and what it would have been, had it kept pace with average earnings increases over the past 50 years, is £37.03 a week – or just over £160 a month, according to analysis by Carers UK, based on Office for National Statistics data.
It shows the benefit would be worth £123.48 a week – or £535.08 a month – if it had kept pace with earnings since 1976, compared with £86.45 a week today. The shortfall is roughly equivalent to a typical household’s monthly energy bill.
The calculation adjusts for earnings growth, rather than inflation, reflecting how wages and the cost of living has changed over time.
Carer’s allowance is paid to those providing at least 35 hours of care a week and equates to about £2.47 an hour, making it one of the lowest benefits of its kind.
Susan said: “It is nowhere near enough. I save the NHS and the Government a fortune by caring for people.
“I can’t work due to the hours l am caring for everyone, it is impossible, so I can’t earn any money to help with rising bills.
“In my opinion, it shouldn’t be treated as earnings but as a benefit. That would allow carers to access additional support, in the same way that PIP does, without affecting other benefits or income.”
Her husband, 77, does not receive a full state pension, though he gets attendance allowance, adding to financial pressures.
Around half a million carers – 62 per cent of recipients – are living in poverty, according to Carers UK, which is calling for a full review of the benefit as it marks its 50th anniversary.
Susan has already cut back on outings due to fuel costs and rarely socialises. She said: “I am worried about the future, and I can’t give up caring for them even if I wanted to, as they are family, and can’t cope without me.
“I am 66 in May and will be entitled to my state pension. Because its income-related, my government pension will be too high to claim carer’s allowance, but my role doesn’t end – I still have to continue.
“We will be financially worse off because we will lose pension credit, which my husband gets, too, and all of the things that helps with like council tax, a TV license and the warm home discount.”
Helen Walker, chief executive of Carers UK, said: “These figures are concerning because we hear regularly from carers who are providing far more than the 35 hours of care required to qualify for carer’s allowance while struggling to make ends meet. Many tell us that their income simply isn’t enough to cover the basics.
“With an ageing population, the demand for care is growing rapidly. Unpaid carers are increasingly stepping in to fill the gaps, often providing intensive support and managing complex health conditions.
“Too many carers are being pushed into financial hardship because the support available has failed to keep pace with rising wages and living costs.
“50 years on from the introduction of carer’s allowance, it’s time for a full review to ensure the benefit properly recognises the vital role carers play and provides the financial security families need to keep caring.”
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