Who can get it

To get Carer Payment, both you and the person you provide care for need to be eligible.

To get this payment you and the person you care for need to meet some rules. You need to both:

Care needs

We need to know about the care you give. The care you give needs to be constant. This means it takes up a large amount of time in your day and stops you from working full time.

You can care for one or more people, in your house, their home or in hospital. The care can include:

  • physical help, such as needing to be lifted or help to get dressed  
  • guidance, such as support shopping and taking the right medication
  • supervision, to support independence and safety.

We’ll also ask you about the person you care for and their disability or medical condition. Read more about the rules for the person you care for.

If you care for more than 1 person, read about caring for multiple people.

As part of your claim we’ll ask you how you care for them. The treating doctor of the person you care for will need to complete a medical form. In some cases we may be able to use existing medical information we have. Start your claim and we’ll tell you if we need an updated medical form.

Page last updated: 6 July 2023.
QC 42866