DWP figures show 97% of eligible carers do not claim carer's credit

Royal London FOI request

Julian Marr
clock • 2 min read

Carer's credit - the government scheme intended to help carers of disabled people build better state pension entitlements - has failed to reach 97% of its target group, according to Royal London.

In reply to a Freedom of Information request made by the mutual insurer, the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) said 3,524 people claimed the National Insurance credit in 2016/17 while, in the current tax year up to 21 December, 2,709 people had done so. When the scheme was introduced in 2010, the DWP had estimated some 160,000 carers - 110,000 women and 50,000 men - could benefit. Along with the charity Carers UK, Royal London has called on the government to adopt a more proactive approach to making sure carers take up their rights. Royal London director of policy Steve Webb sai...

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