CARER'S ALLOWANCE: YOUR EARNINGS CHECKLIST
IsMyPayRight.co.uk | Checked 8 November 2026 | 2026/27

The earnings limit is £204 a week after allowed deductions.
This sheet helps you prepare a check. The benefit office decides your award.

1. GET YOUR RECORDS TOGETHER
- Payslips for all jobs, with pay-period dates and payday dates.
- Details of your own pension payments for those periods.
- Receipts for work costs you paid and your employer has not repaid.
- Evidence of qualifying care costs you paid so you could work.
- Any earlier letter explaining how the benefit office averages your pay.

2. KEEP EACH FIGURE IN THE SAME PAY PERIOD
- Cash pay before tax, NI and your own pension deductions.
- Actual Income Tax taken from this pay.
- Employee National Insurance taken from this pay.
- Your own qualifying pension payment (only half is deducted for this test).
- Allowed work costs.
- Qualifying care costs (the benefit office applies a limit).
  Childcare must cover a child under 16 included in your or your partner's
  Child Benefit claim. Check the family exclusions in the guide too.

If you use salary sacrifice, use cash pay after the sacrifice.
Do not enter that sacrifice again as your own pension payment.
Your bank payment alone does not tell you the earnings figure for the benefit.

3. IF PAY CHANGES, ASK
"My pay changes. Which dates will you use to work out my average earnings?
Which pension payments and work costs will you take off?"

4. BEFORE CHANGING HOURS
- Ask payroll for the expected pay and deductions.
- Check how other benefits, tax and work costs could change.
- If you get Universal Credit, check wages and UC together.
- Report changes to each relevant benefit office and keep a record.

Keep for your own notes:
Date reported:
Office or service contacted:
Reference:
Agreed earnings period:
What happens next:

England and Wales: https://www.gov.uk/carers-allowance-report-change
Northern Ireland: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/carers-allowance
Scotland: https://www.mygov.scot/carer-support-payment/if-you-work
Free benefits calculators: https://www.gov.uk/benefits-calculators
Guide and earnings checker:
https://www.ismypayright.co.uk/guides/carers-allowance-earnings-limit

The England-and-Wales change announced for 2030/31 has not started.
Use the current rules for current pay.