Quick summary
If you have spent years looking after a parent, you already have most of what this job needs. Carer’s Allowance is £86.45 a week for a minimum of 35 hours, which works out at under £2.50 an hour. Paid care work here starts at £14.70. The skills transfer. The hours are the thing to think about.
What you already know how to do
People who have cared for a relative usually underestimate this badly, and then apologise for having no experience.
- Personal care, including the parts everyone worries about. You have already done them.
- Noticing. The bruise, the untouched plate, the tablets still in Tuesday’s compartment. This is most of the job and it cannot be taught quickly.
- Patience under pressure, particularly with dementia.
- Working out what someone means when they cannot say it.
- Dealing with professionals, GPs, district nurses, social workers and hospital wards.
- Medication routines, appointments and paperwork.
- Keeping going on a bad day.
What you will be taught is the formal side: safeguarding, moving and handling, infection control, record keeping and medicines procedure. That is what the Care Certificate covers, and it takes about twelve weeks on the job. Our guide for people with no formal experience sets out the whole process.
The money, compared
Caring for family | Paid care work here | |
|---|---|---|
Payment | Carer’s Allowance £86.45 a week, if eligible | £14.70 an hour during probation, £15.70 after |
Hours required | At least 35 a week, usually far more | The hours you agree to work |
Effective hourly rate | Under £2.50 | £14.70 to £15.70, plus 35p a mile and paid travel time |
Pension | Carer’s Credit protects your State Pension record | Workplace pension |
Holiday and sick pay | None | Statutory entitlements |
Time off | Whatever you can arrange | Rota’d |
That comparison is not a criticism of Carer’s Allowance claimants. It is the reason the benefit is so widely described as inadequate, and it is why many family carers eventually move into paid work.
The earnings limit, which you must check first
This is the single most important thing on this page if you currently claim Carer’s Allowance.
The earnings limit for 2026/27 is £204 a week after tax, National Insurance, half of any pension contributions and some expenses. It is an absolute cliff edge: a pound over in a given week and you lose the entire week’s Carer’s Allowance.
At £15.70 an hour, £204 is roughly thirteen hours of work a week before deductions. Go above that and you need to decide deliberately, not discover it on a payslip.
- Get a benefits check before taking on hours. Carers UK, Citizens Advice and Age UK all do this free.
- Check every payday, not annually. Overtime and holiday pay are what usually push people over.
- Tell the DWP promptly about changes, because overpayments have to be repaid.
- Remember what is deductible, since pension contributions and some work expenses come off before the £204 is applied.
Our guidance on carers’ entitlements and the Carer’s Allowance article cover the rest, including what happens at State Pension age.
Can you be paid to care for your own relative?
Usually not through a direct payment if you live in the same household, though councils can agree exceptions in particular circumstances. Ask the social care worker rather than assuming either way.
What is generally straightforward is being employed to care for other people, while continuing to care for your own relative around it. That is the route most family carers take.
The practical questions to think through
- Who covers your relative while you work? This is the real obstacle, not the job.
- Could a carer’s assessment help? It is free, it is your legal right, and it can lead to respite that makes paid hours possible.
- Which hours suit? Care work is naturally split: an early morning block, a middle of the day, an evening block. Some people build work around the hours their relative is settled.
- Do you want to do this at all? For some people it is a relief to be paid and valued for the work. For others, doing it professionally as well as at home is too much. Both are reasonable answers.
What might be harder than you expect
- Doing it to someone else’s plan. At home you decide. In someone else’s house, the care plan does.
- Leaving at the end of the visit when you can see three more things that need doing.
- The paperwork. Notes after every visit, and medicines records.
- Emotional overlap. Visiting someone with the same condition as your mum can hit harder than you anticipate.
- Not being family. You have less authority and more accountability.
Frequently asked questions
Can I get paid for caring for my mum?
Carer’s Allowance is £86.45 a week if you care at least 35 hours and she receives a qualifying disability benefit. Being paid directly to care for a relative you live with is usually not possible through a direct payment, though exceptions exist.
Will working stop my Carer’s Allowance?
Only if net earnings exceed £204 a week, in which case you lose the whole week’s payment. Get a benefits check before committing to hours.
Do I need qualifications?
No. You need a driving licence for most rounds here, an enhanced DBS check, which we pay for, references and the right to work in the UK.
Does caring for family count as experience?
Yes, and it is worth putting on the application. Years of personal care, medication routines and dealing with professionals is directly relevant.
Can I work school hours, or only a few hours a week?
Yes. Most of our carers work part-time and rounds are built around fixed commitments. Some weekend work is part of it.
What if my relative’s needs increase?
Tell us. Rotas can change, and it is better dealt with openly than by struggling on.
What we pay
- £15.70 an hour after a three month probation, £14.70 during it.
- 35p a mile, and travel time between visits is paid.
- No visit shorter than an hour.
- Induction, shadowing and the Care Certificate, paid and at no cost to you.
- Carer turnover of 12 per cent, against 23.7 per cent across the sector (Skills for Care, 2025).
How to apply
Call us on 01625 720157 and ask about caregiver roles. Say you have been caring for a relative, because it is relevant experience rather than a gap to explain away.
Visiting Angels Cheshire East covers Macclesfield, Wilmslow, Knutsford, Congleton, Alsager, Buxton, Whaley Bridge, Leek, Biddulph and Kidsgrove.
Authored by Kim Blissett, Registered Manager, Visiting Angels Cheshire East.
Published 27 September 2026. Last updated 27 September 2026.
This article is general information about care work and benefits, not financial, benefits or employment advice, nor a contractual offer of employment. Taking paid work can affect Carer’s Allowance and other benefits; get a free benefits check from Carers UK, Citizens Advice or Age UK before changing your hours. Rates and limits change each April and were correct at the date of publication. To the fullest extent permitted by law, GB Care at Home Ltd accepts no liability for any loss arising from reliance on this article.
