Family and carers support

If you have cancer, you may be able to get Tax-Free Childcare. This could be up to £2000 per year for each of your children. If your child has a disability, it could be up to £4000 per year.

If you already claim Universal Credit (UC) there is a component for childcare costs, that you might be able to claim instead of tax-free childcare.

Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is a benefit that can help you with the extra costs of your child’s care needs. It is not means tested.

You may be able to claim DLA if:

• Your child is under 16 (if your child is over 16, they must apply for Personal Independence Payment (PIP)).
• Your child has extra care needs (more than a child of the same age who does not have a disability) or difficulty walking.

If your child lives in Scotland, you need to apply for Child Disability Payment instead.

Find details about help with the cost of your children’s schooling from:

• Macmillan Cancer Support
• Cancer Research UK

Carer’s Allowance is the main benefit for carers. You can get Carer’s Allowance if you look after someone for at least 35 hours a week and if they claim certain benefits. If you already receive Universal Credit (UC), you may be able to get the carer element, even if you do not apply for Carer’s Allowance. The carer element is an extra payment on your Universal Credit allowance.

You can also apply for Carer’s Allowance to be recognised as a carer. Even if you do not receive the payments from Carer’s Allowance, being recognised as a carer can increase the amount of money you receive for other benefits, such as Pension Credit (PC).

Apply for Carer’s Allowance from the government if you live in England, Scotland or Wales. The process works slightly differently if you live in Northern Ireland.

Find more information about Carer’s Allowance from Macmillan Cancer Support and Cancer Research UK.

Carer’s Credit does not give you money. It’s there to make sure you can still qualify for a state pension if you’ve needed to give up work to care for someone. It does this by filling gaps in your National Insurance record.

To be eligible:

• you must be over 16 and below state pension age
• you must care for someone for at least 20 hours a week and they must be receiving certain benefits.

Apply for Carer’s Credit from the government if you live in England, Scotland or Wales.

Apply for Carer’s Credit in Northern Ireland.

Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) is a payment you can apply for if your partner has died. It is not means-tested. It has replaced some other benefits:

• Bereavement Allowance
• Bereavement Payment
• Widowed Parent’s Allowance

You can also apply for BSP if you’re not working.

Some people can get financial help towards funerals. To be eligible for Funeral Expenses Payment, you need to be already claiming certain benefits.

If you have a child who is under 18, the Children’s Funeral Fund for England can help pay towards some of the costs of the funeral. Find out more on the government website.

If you live in Scotland, funeral expenses payment has been replaced by funeral support payment. Apply for funeral support payment in Scotland.