Around 1.4 million people were claiming Carer's Allowance under DWP policy ownership at August 2025, about 1.376 million in total, while an estimated 5.0 million people provided unpaid care in England and Wales at the 2021 Census. The gap between those two numbers is the headline story in the data. Source: DWP benefit statistics, February 2026 release, reference August 2025 and ONS, Unpaid care, England and Wales: Census 2021, reference 21 March 2021; figures subject to revision.
This page pulls together the official statistics on Carer's Allowance in the UK, from named sources at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It sets out how many people claim, what the benefit is worth, and how claimant numbers sit alongside the far larger population of unpaid carers. Benefit rates and rules are current as at July 2026 and are subject to change; statistics carry their reference period and are subject to revision.
How many people claim Carer's Allowance?
About 1.4 million people were claiming Carer's Allowance under DWP policy ownership at August 2025, roughly 1.376 million, which was 4.7% lower than at August 2024 (DWP benefit statistics, February 2026 release, reference August 2025, figures subject to revision). The recent fall largely reflects the transfer of Scottish cases to the new Carer Support Payment rather than a drop in caring itself.
The caseload had been rising before that. DWP reports that the number claiming at August 2024 was around 1.4 million, 5% higher than at August 2023 (DWP benefit statistics, February 2026 release, figures subject to revision). Most claimants are older: at August 2025 around 1.1 million (78%) were State Pension age or above and about 300,000 (22%) were working age (DWP benefit statistics, February 2026 release, reference August 2025, figures subject to revision).
| Reference period | Claimants (DWP policy ownership) | Change on prior year |
|---|---|---|
| August 2023 | Around 1.4 million (baseline) | n/a |
| August 2024 | Around 1.4 million | +5% |
| August 2025 | About 1.376 million | −4.7% |
Source: DWP benefit statistics, February 2026 release. Carer's Allowance figures under DWP policy ownership; the August 2025 fall is influenced by Scotland's move to Carer Support Payment. Figures subject to revision.
The Carer's Allowance rate and rules
Carer's Allowance is worth £86.45 a week for someone who cares for at least 35 hours a week for a person receiving certain disability benefits (gov.uk, Carer's Allowance, as at July 2026, subject to change). To qualify, the carer's own earnings must generally be £204 or less a week after tax, National Insurance and allowable expenses (gov.uk, Carer's Allowance eligibility, as at July 2026, subject to change).
Those rules help explain why claimant numbers are lower than the number of carers. The 35-hour test, the weekly earnings limit of £204 (gov.uk, as at July 2026, subject to change), and the fact that Carer's Allowance can overlap with other benefits all narrow the group who both qualify and claim.
Key figures at a glance
The table below brings the core statistics into one place, each with its named source and reference period. Benefit rates are current as at July 2026 and are subject to change; population statistics carry their census or release date and are subject to revision. Every figure links to its primary source so you can check it directly.
| Figure | Value | Source & period |
|---|---|---|
| People claiming Carer's Allowance (DWP) | About 1.4 million (c.1.376m) | DWP benefit statistics, Aug 2025 |
| Year-on-year change in claimants | −4.7% | DWP benefit statistics, Aug 2024-Aug 2025 |
| Claimants of State Pension age or above | About 1.1 million (78%) | DWP benefit statistics, Aug 2025 |
| Working-age claimants | About 300,000 (22%) | DWP benefit statistics, Aug 2025 |
| Weekly Carer's Allowance rate | £86.45 (subject to change) | gov.uk/carers-allowance, Jul 2026 |
| Weekly earnings limit to qualify | £204 after deductions (subject to change) | gov.uk eligibility, Jul 2026 |
| Minimum hours of care a week | 35 hours | gov.uk eligibility, Jul 2026 |
| People providing unpaid care, England & Wales | 5.0 million (9.0%) | ONS, Census 2021, 21 Mar 2021 |
| Providing 50+ hours of unpaid care a week | 1.5 million | ONS, Census 2021, 21 Mar 2021 |
Sources as linked. DWP figures are under DWP policy ownership and exclude most Scottish cases now moved to Carer Support Payment; ONS unpaid-care figures cover England and Wales at Census Day, 21 March 2021.
What the numbers mean
The most striking feature of the data is the distance between caring and claiming. An estimated 5.0 million people provided unpaid care in England and Wales at the 2021 Census, 9.0% of usual residents aged 5 and over, down from 11.4% in 2011 (ONS, Census 2021, reference 21 March 2021, figures subject to revision). Set against roughly 1.4 million Carer's Allowance claimants across the UK (DWP benefit statistics, February 2026 release, reference August 2025, figures subject to revision), that suggests most carers are not in receipt of the benefit. Source: DWP benefit statistics, February 2026 release, reference August 2025; figures subject to revision.
In our reading, several sourced facts help explain the gap rather than any single cause. Carer's Allowance requires at least 35 hours of care a week, yet the census counts anyone providing any unpaid care, including 1.5 million people giving 50 or more hours a week (ONS, Census 2021, figures subject to revision) and many others giving far fewer. The £204 weekly earnings limit (gov.uk, as at July 2026, subject to change) rules out carers who work, and overlapping-benefit rules can absorb the allowance for those already on a State Pension.
Roughly one benefit claimant for every three or four unpaid carers: the official statistics describe a support system far narrower than the caring population it sits within.
A note of caution on comparison. The DWP claimant count is UK-wide under DWP policy ownership and now excludes most Scottish cases, while the ONS figure covers only England and Wales at a single census date. The two are not measuring the same thing, so the ratio is indicative rather than exact. Even so, the direction is consistent across releases and depends on your circumstances at the point of any claim.
How Carer's Allowance connects to later-life planning
Carer's Allowance rarely appears in isolation. It usually sits alongside the disability benefits of the person being cared for, and it often surfaces when families are already thinking about later-life costs, powers of attorney and inheritance. For that reason the statistics matter beyond the benefit itself: they map where unpaid care, and the financial pressure that comes with it, is concentrated.
The person being cared for is frequently an older relative who receives Attendance Allowance, and the two populations overlap. If you are comparing figures, our companion data on attendance allowance claimants shows the numbers on that side of the same caring relationship. Many families also weigh up how future care might be funded, which is where our guide to Care Home Fees and the wider estate planning guide can help set the context.
One point of caution on care funding. Deliberately giving away money or property to reduce what you might pay towards care can be treated by a local authority as a deliberate deprivation of assets and challenged (gov.uk, Care and support statutory guidance, as at July 2026, subject to change). Sensible planning is about understanding and limiting the impact of care fees within the rules, not attempting to avoid them, and many people choose to discuss it with a qualified professional first.
Carer's Allowance in Scotland and Northern Ireland
The claimant figures above describe Carer's Allowance under DWP policy ownership, which mainly covers England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, Carer's Allowance is being replaced by Carer Support Payment, with the nationwide rollout completed from November 2024, and Scottish cases have moved across in the most recent quarters (DWP benefit statistics, February 2026 release, figures subject to revision). That transfer is a large part of why the UK DWP caseload fell in the year to August 2025, and it means Scottish and rest-of-UK figures should be compared with care.