There are over 1 million people in the UK who look after more than one person. But you can only get one payment of Carer’s Allowance so you have to choose which person to claim for. Also you can’t combine the hours you spend caring for different people so you could be caring 60 hours a week (30 hours each for 2 people) but still not get the benefit as you don’t meet the “one person for 35 hours” rule.
The government has started to realise that caring is complex. The new Carers Credit for example will protect the State Pension for carers who look after more than one person. This is a good start but we think that the benefit system should recognise different caring situations and reflect the fact that some people care for more than one person. If you agree then join our campaign and tell the next government it’s time to support carers.
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