Can I get paid to care for a family member?

Yes, you can get paid to care for a family member in England, but usually not as a wage from the government. The main routes are Carer’s Allowance (£86.45 a week if you care 35 hours or more), the Universal Credit carer element (£209.34 a month), or being paid from your relative’s council direct payment, which normally cannot be used to pay a relative who lives in the same household unless the council agrees it is necessary.

In short

• Carer’s Allowance pays £86.45 a week in 2026/27 if you care for at least 35 hours a week and earn £204 a week or less after allowable deductions.
• The Universal Credit carer element adds £209.34 a month for people on a low income who care 35 hours or more, with or without Carer’s Allowance.
• Council direct payments can pay a relative who lives elsewhere. Paying a close relative in the same household needs the council to decide it is necessary (Care and Support (Direct Payments) Regulations 2014, regulation 3).
• If your relative employs you, you must be paid at least the National Living Wage of £12.71 an hour (age 21 and over) and treated as an employee.
• Shared Lives carers who share their home can earn up to £20,440 a year plus £515 a week per adult tax free under qualifying care relief (2026/27).
• Being paid for the care you give usually rules out the UC carer element for that caring, so compare routes before you choose.

The five ways families get paid for caring

There is no single “family carer wage” in England. There are five routes, and some can be combined. The right one depends on your hours, your income, whether you live with the person and whether the council funds their care.

Carer’s Allowance: the most common payment

Carer’s Allowance is paid by the Department for Work and Pensions. It is not means-tested on savings, but it does have an earnings limit. You can claim if you are 16 or over, care for someone for at least 35 hours a week, and they receive a qualifying benefit such as Attendance Allowance, the daily living part of PIP, or the middle or highest care rate of Disability Living Allowance.

The 35 hours can include time spent on shopping, laundry, sorting medication and keeping your relative company, not only hands-on personal care. You cannot add together hours spent caring for two different people.

The earnings limit is £204 a week after tax, National Insurance and allowable expenses such as half of any pension contributions. If you go over by even £1 in a week, you lose that week’s allowance. Our guide to the Carer’s Allowance earnings limit explains how to work this out, and the main Carer’s Allowance guide covers how to claim.

A catch to check first

When you claim Carer’s Allowance, the person you care for usually loses any severe disability premium in their means-tested benefits, or the severe disability addition (£86.05 a week) in Pension Credit. If they live alone and get that addition, a claim could leave the household worse off. Do a benefits check before applying.

If you already get a State Pension of £86.45 a week or more, the overlapping benefit rule means Carer’s Allowance will not be paid on top. You may still have an “underlying entitlement”, which can add the £48.15 carer addition to your Pension Credit.

The Universal Credit carer element

If you are on Universal Credit and care for 35 hours or more a week, your award can include an extra £209.34 a month. You do not need to have claimed Carer’s Allowance, and there is no separate earnings limit for the element itself. You also have no work-search requirements while you have regular and substantial caring responsibilities.

There is one rule that matters for family arrangements. Under the Universal Credit Regulations 2013, regulation 30(3), you do not count as having caring responsibilities if you get paid for that caring. So if your relative or the council pays you a wage to look after them, you lose the carer element. Our full guide to the Universal Credit carer element covers couples, earnings and how it interacts with Carer’s Allowance.

Being paid through a direct payment

When the council assesses your relative and agrees to fund some or all of their care, it can give the money as a direct payment. Your relative (or someone acting for them) then arranges care and pays for it. This is the route most families mean when they ask about being paid to care.

The household rule

Regulation 3 of the Care and Support (Direct Payments) Regulations 2014 says a direct payment must not be used to pay a spouse, civil partner or partner, or a close relative who lives in the same household, unless the council considers it necessary. The relatives covered are parents and parents-in-law, sons and daughters (including in-law and step), brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles and grandparents, and their partners, where they live in the same household.

Councils make that decision case by case. Examples where it may be agreed include someone with dementia who becomes distressed with unfamiliar carers, a cultural or language need no local agency can meet, or a rural area with no available provider. Put your reasons in writing and ask for the decision in writing.

A relative who lives in a different home can usually be paid from a direct payment without special permission, as long as the council is satisfied the care plan is being met.

What being employed means

If your relative uses a direct payment to employ you, they become an employer. That brings duties:

• Paying at least the National Living Wage (£12.71 an hour from April 2026 for workers aged 21 and over).
• Registering with HMRC as an employer if pay reaches the PAYE threshold, and running payroll. Many councils fund a payroll service.
• Employer’s liability insurance, holiday pay, sick pay rules and a workplace pension where you qualify.
• A written contract, a DBS check where the council requires it, and records of hours worked.

Your wage counts as earnings. At 16 hours a week at £12.71, you would earn about £203.36 a week, just under the Carer’s Allowance limit before any deductions. Above that, you would lose Carer’s Allowance in any week the limit is breached.

Working for a care agency and caring for your relative

Some home care agencies will recruit a family member and place them with their own relative, usually where the council or a self-funder is paying the agency anyway. You would be trained, supervised and paid like any other care worker. The agency handles tax and insurance.

Agencies are not obliged to agree, and you may be asked to visit other clients too. Our guide comparing an agency and a private carer explains the trade-offs.

Shared Lives: caring in your own home

Shared Lives schemes match adults who need support with approved carers who share their home or provide day support. Carers are paid by the scheme, regulated by the Care Quality Commission, and get generous tax relief. For 2026/27, qualifying care relief lets carers receive up to £20,440 a year per household plus £515 a week per adult placed without paying income tax on it.

Tax, National Insurance and your pension

• Carer’s Allowance is taxable, but most carers pay no tax on it unless their total income goes above the £12,570 Personal Allowance.
• Carer’s Allowance gives you Class 1 National Insurance credits, which protect your State Pension.
• If you care for 20 hours or more but do not get Carer’s Allowance, you can apply for Carer’s Credit to fill gaps in your National Insurance record.
• Wages from a direct payment or agency are taxed under PAYE in the normal way.

Worked example

Priya, 52, cares for her mother for about 40 hours a week in her mother’s flat. Her mother gets the higher rate of Attendance Allowance (£114.60 a week). Priya works 10 hours a week at a shop, earning £130 a week.

• Priya qualifies for Carer’s Allowance: £86.45 a week, or about £4,495 a year.
• Her mother lives alone and gets the severe disability addition in Pension Credit. Priya’s claim would stop that £86.05 a week, so the family is roughly neutral overall. They decide to check with a benefits adviser before claiming.
• If the council agreed a direct payment to pay Priya for 10 hours a week at £13 an hour, she would earn £130 more. Her total earnings of £260 a week would breach the £204 limit, and she would lose Carer’s Allowance.

The lesson is to model all the numbers together, not one route at a time.

Mistakes to avoid

• Taking informal cash from a parent’s savings without recording it. If your parent later needs council funding, unexplained payments can be questioned as deprivation of assets. A written care agreement at a fair rate helps.
• Assuming a power of attorney lets you pay yourself. Office of the Public Guardian guidance says an attorney or deputy who wants to be paid for providing care has a conflict of interest and normally needs Court of Protection approval first. See our guide to LPA and deputyship.
• Forgetting the cared-for person’s benefits. A carer’s claim can cut their premiums.
• Not asking for a carer’s assessment. It is free and can unlock breaks and practical help even if you are not paid.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

In Scotland, Carer’s Allowance has been replaced by Carer Support Payment, paid by Social Security Scotland at the same weekly rate. Wales and Northern Ireland use Carer’s Allowance, with Northern Ireland’s version run by the Department for Communities. Direct payment rules on paying relatives differ in each nation, so check with your local authority or health and social care trust.

Use our funding checker to see what support your relative might qualify for, and read our guide to respite care costs if you need to plan breaks.

Frequently asked questions

Can I get paid to look after my mum?

Yes. If you care for her 35 hours a week or more and she gets a disability benefit such as Attendance Allowance, you may get Carer’s Allowance of £86.45 a week. If the council funds her care, it may let her use a direct payment to employ you, though a relative living in the same household needs the council’s agreement first.

Can a family member be paid by direct payments if they live with you?

Usually not. The Care and Support (Direct Payments) Regulations 2014 stop a direct payment being used to pay a partner or close relative in the same household unless the council decides it is necessary. Councils do agree in some cases, such as complex dementia needs. Ask in writing and explain why no other carer would work.

How much do you get paid for caring for a family member?

Carer’s Allowance is £86.45 a week in 2026/27. The Universal Credit carer element is £209.34 a month. If you are employed through a direct payment or an agency, you must be paid at least the National Living Wage of £12.71 an hour if you are 21 or over.

Can I get Carer’s Allowance and still work?

Yes, as long as your earnings are £204 a week or less after tax, National Insurance and allowable expenses, and you still care for at least 35 hours a week. If you earn more in any week, you lose that week’s payment. Pay from caring for your relative counts towards the limit.

Does being paid to care affect my Universal Credit?

Yes. Wages reduce Universal Credit through the earnings taper, and being paid for the caring itself means you cannot get the £209.34 a month carer element for that person. Carer’s Allowance is also deducted in full from Universal Credit, though you can still keep the carer element alongside it.

Can my dad pay me from his Attendance Allowance?

Attendance Allowance is his money to spend as he chooses, so he can pay you for help. Keep the arrangement simple and recorded. Regular payments may count as income for your own benefits, so check how they affect Carer’s Allowance or Universal Credit before you agree an amount.

Sources

• GOV.UK: Carer’s Allowance eligibility
• GOV.UK: Carer’s Allowance effect on other benefits
• GOV.UK: Universal Credit, what you’ll get
• Care and Support (Direct Payments) Regulations 2014, regulation 3
• Universal Credit Regulations 2013, regulation 30
• GOV.UK: National Minimum Wage and National Living Wage rates
• GOV.UK: Carer’s Credit

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.