Help for unpaid carers in Wales: benefits and grants (2026/27)

If you look after a relative or friend in Wales, you have a legal right to a carer’s needs assessment from the council under section 24 of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, whatever your savings and however much or little care you give. Carer’s Allowance of £86.45 a week in 2026/27 is paid if you care for 35 hours or more and earn no more than £204 a week. Wales also funds its own Short Breaks Scheme and Carers Support Fund, run through local carers’ organisations until March 2029.

In short

• Any carer who appears to need support must be offered an assessment. The council cannot refuse because of your finances or because your needs look low.
• If your needs meet the Welsh eligibility criteria, the council must meet them (section 40) and agree a support plan with you.
• Councils can charge adult carers for support, but must not charge you for care given to the person you look after, and must never charge a young carer.
• Carer’s Allowance: £86.45 a week. Universal Credit carer element: £209.34 a month. Pension Credit carer addition: £48.15 a week.
• The Welsh Government is putting £15.75m into the Short Breaks Scheme and Carers Support Fund over the three years to the end of March 2029.
• A carer living with the person they care for can get a 25% or 50% council tax discount, regardless of income.

Your right to a carer’s needs assessment

In Wales, a carer is anyone who provides or intends to provide care for an adult or a disabled child, unless they do it under a contract or as a volunteer. You do not need to live with the person, and you do not have to be doing a set number of hours.

Section 24 of the 2014 Act says the council must assess you whenever it appears you may need support. That duty applies regardless of the level of your needs or the money you or the person you care for has. The assessment must look at:

• whether you are able, and willing, to keep caring, now and in future;
• the outcomes that matter to you;
• whether you work or want to, and your education, training and leisure; and
• what support, advice or local services could help.

Ask the council’s adult social care team, or put it in writing using our letter template to request a carer’s assessment. Our general guide to carer’s assessments covers how to prepare.

Do you qualify for support?

Under regulation 5 of the Care and Support (Eligibility) (Wales) Regulations 2015, your needs are eligible if all of these apply:

1. they arise from caring for an adult with care and support needs, or a disabled child;
2. they affect things like your own self-care, protection from harm, work, education or leisure, your relationships, your community life, or looking after a child;
3. you cannot meet them alone, with willing help from others, or through local services; and
4. you are unlikely to achieve your personal outcomes without council support, care for the person you look after, or direct payments.

If you qualify, the council must meet the needs in a support plan. Be specific: “two nights a month of unbroken sleep” or “keeping my Tuesday shift”.

What support can include

• Breaks: a sitting service, day services for the person you care for, or a short stay in a care home. See respite care explained and council respite care.
• Direct payments, so you choose who provides the help.
• Equipment or adaptations that make caring safer, such as a hoist or telecare.
• Training, counselling and help to keep working or studying.

Can the council charge you?

The Welsh charging code gives councils discretion to charge adult carers for support provided to them, but says it may often be a “false economy”. It must not charge you for care provided directly to the person you look after, must consider the effect of any charge on your ability to keep caring, and may use a small flat rate rather than a means test. Children who are carers are never charged. Care for the person you look after, including respite stays of up to 8 weeks, falls under the £100 weekly maximum: see home care charges in Wales.

Benefits for carers in Wales, 2026/27

Carer benefits are paid by the Department for Work and Pensions, so Wales has the same rates as England. Scotland has replaced Carer’s Allowance with Carer Support Payment, but Wales has not.

Qualifying benefits for the person you care for include Attendance Allowance, the daily living part of PIP, and the middle or highest care rate of DLA. See our Carer’s Allowance guide, the earnings limit explained, the UC carer element and Carer’s Credit.

Check before you claim

If you get Carer’s Allowance, the person you care for may lose the severe disability addition in their Pension Credit or other means-tested benefits, worth £86.05 a week. Sometimes the household is better off; sometimes not. Get a benefits check first. If you are over State Pension age, you may get no Carer’s Allowance payment because of your pension, but an “underlying entitlement” can still add the carer amount to Pension Credit.

Welsh grants and schemes

Short Breaks Scheme

Funded by the Welsh Government and coordinated by Carers Trust Wales through local partners, it offers personalised breaks for unpaid carers of all ages: such as social outings, leisure memberships and hobby equipment. It delivered more than 50,000 breaks in its first three years, many to carers no other service knew about. Contact your local carers’ centre to apply.

Carers Support Fund

Emergency financial help for unpaid carers on low incomes, for essentials such as food, household goods or energy bills, together with advice on benefits and money. It helped 29,500 carers between April 2022 and April 2025. Again, apply through your local carers’ organisation.

Discretionary Assistance Fund

The Welsh Government’s Discretionary Assistance Fund gives grants that do not have to be repaid. An Emergency Assistance Payment helps with food, gas, electricity, heating oil or emergency travel. An Individual Assistance Payment helps you, or someone you care for, live independently, for example with white goods or a bed.

Council tax help for carers in Wales

• Carer discount: if you care for at least 35 hours a week, live in the same home, and the person is not your partner or your child under 18, you can be “disregarded” for council tax. The person must get a qualifying benefit, such as Attendance Allowance or the daily living part of PIP. You do not need to get Carer’s Allowance, and your income and savings do not matter. The discount is 50% if no one else in the home counts for council tax, or 25% if one other adult does.
• Disabled band reduction: if the home has been adapted for a disabled person, the bill can drop by one valuation band.
• Severe cognitive impairment: someone medically certified with, for example, advanced dementia is also disregarded, which can bring further discounts.

Apply to your council’s council tax team. See also Blue Badge and concessions and the Disabled Facilities Grant, which is up to £36,000 in Wales.

Working while caring

• Employees can take up to one week of unpaid carer’s leave in any 12 months, from their first day in the job.
• You can ask for flexible working from day one.
• Earnings over £204 a week after deductions stop Carer’s Allowance for that week, so watch overtime. Half of any pension contributions, and some care costs, can be deducted.

Young carers under 18 also have the right to an assessment under section 24. See young carers and the Carer’s Leave Act.

When the NHS is involved

If the person you care for gets NHS Continuing Healthcare at home, the health board should check your caring role is sustainable and refer you for a carer’s assessment if needed. See NHS Continuing Healthcare in Wales. Before a hospital discharge, say clearly what you can and cannot do.

Mistakes to avoid

• Saying “I’m fine” at the assessment. Describe a bad week, not a good day.
• Assuming savings rule you out. The assessment is free and not means-tested.
• Claiming Carer’s Allowance without a benefits check when the person you care for gets the severe disability addition.
• Missing the council tax discount. It does not depend on Carer’s Allowance.

Elsewhere in the UK

In England, carers’ rights come from the Care Act 2014. In Scotland, see Carer Support Payment. For how care is paid for in Wales, see paying for care in Wales.

Frequently asked questions

Am I entitled to a carer’s assessment in Wales?

Yes, if it appears you may need support as a carer. Section 24 of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 says the council must assess you regardless of how much care you give or how much money you or the person you care for has. You do not have to live with them.

How much is Carer’s Allowance in Wales in 2026/27?

£86.45 a week. You must be 16 or over, care for at least 35 hours a week, earn no more than £204 a week after deductions and not be in full-time education. The person you care for must get a qualifying benefit such as Attendance Allowance or the daily living part of PIP.

Is there a grant for unpaid carers in Wales?

Yes. The Carers Support Fund gives emergency help with essentials such as food, household goods and energy bills to carers on low incomes, and the Short Breaks Scheme funds personalised breaks. The Welsh Government has committed £15.75m to both until March 2029. Apply through your local carers’ organisation.

Can the council charge me for carer support in Wales?

It can charge an adult carer for support provided to them, but the Welsh code urges councils to think hard about whether to, and they cannot charge you for care given to the person you look after. Young carers are never charged. Ask for the council’s charging policy in writing.

Do carers get a council tax discount in Wales?

Often, yes. If you live with and care for someone for at least 35 hours a week, who is not your partner or child under 18 and gets a qualifying benefit, you can be disregarded. That can mean a 25% or 50% discount. Your income and savings do not affect it.

Is Carer’s Allowance being replaced in Wales?

No. Carer’s Allowance is still paid by the Department for Work and Pensions in Wales, at £86.45 a week in 2026/27. Only Scotland has replaced it, with Carer Support Payment. The Welsh Government adds its own help on top, through the Carers Support Fund, the Short Breaks Scheme and council tax discounts for carers.

Sources

• Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, section 24
• Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014, section 40
• The Care and Support (Eligibility) (Wales) Regulations 2015, regulation 5
• Welsh Government: Part 4 and 5 code of practice (charging carers)
• Welsh Government: Short Breaks Scheme and Carers Support Fund statement
• Welsh Government: £15.75m funding to support unpaid carers
• Welsh Government: Discretionary Assistance Fund
• Welsh Government: council tax discounts, disregards and exemptions
• GOV.UK: Carer’s Allowance eligibility
• GOV.UK: carer’s leave

General information, not legal or financial advice. Figures for 2026/27, checked October 2026.

Reviewed by The Care Panel team on 29 October 2026. This guide is general information about care in England, not legal, medical or financial advice. Rules and rates change; check with your council or an adviser before making decisions.