Increasing money coming in
You could be entitled to one-off grants or a higher income through claiming benefits. Remember, you are entitled to claim these and you should, they are there to help you.
Depending on your income, assets and living arrangements, you might be able to:
- Cut down your household costs, including gas and electricity bills, a free or discounted TV licence from TV Licensing or council tax discounts
- Have your contributions towards your state pension covered by the government if you’ve given up or cut down paid work to care for someone – Carers UK has advice to help you protect your pension
Grants available
We administer some specific grants for unpaid carers. The funding comes from different places for different expenses so check what you are entitled to. We have tried to make this is simple as possible and you can find the information on our Grants page. If you are not sure please contact us at: carerscentralgrants@thecarecollective.wales
The Welsh Government’s Discretionary Assistance Fund (DAF)
For carers living in Gwent, the Gwent Regional Partnership Board fund a small grants scheme. Information on that is available here
To get a grant or other financial help from a local charity or trust – Turn2Us has details of charities which may be able to help you
Getting the right benefits & entitlements
You may be able to get help to increase your income if your caring duties are affecting your finances. We would always advise you get a full and up to date benefits check. There are lots of free to use specialist organisations that will do this. Make sure you are not asked to pay for any of these services, now or in the future.
As a starting point, depending on your income, assets and living arrangements, you might be able to apply for Carer’s Allowance and other benefits
For the longer term make sure you have your contributions towards your state pension covered by the government if you’ve given up or cut down paid work to care for someone – Carers UK has advice to help you protect your pension
Reduce money going out if you can
Cutting down on household costs isn’t easy, especially if you or the person you care for needs to use equipment, adaptions or extra heating.
You can get free and impartial help to sort out your finances if you’re worried about having enough money to live on and pay your bills. This could include increasing the money coming into your household, learning how to make your money go further and dealing with debt problems.
Heating our homes can be a real worry these days. You can get help from the charity National Energy Action which has a really good set of all round information, advice and help.
Safe ways to manage your money
We always encourage people to get full advice on managing money, including bank or other accounts, paying bills and saving when you can. Citizens Advice can be trusted to give you free help, without strings or influence.
MoneyHelper is a free, impartial service, easy to use, provided by the Money and Pensions Service and backed by Government. MoneyHelper is here to help, so you can move on with life; to cut through the jargon and complexity, explain what you need to do and how you can do it: MoneyHelper
When the going gets tough it’s understandable that people turn to anyone who says they can help. Be careful though. Not everyone is able to, or wants to, help in the best way for you. Be especially cautious about borrowing from individuals (not companies) who say they can help you.
Loan sharks are more common than people think. If you or someone you know is involved with a loan shark, you can get specialist help from Stop Loan Sharks Wales
Don’t struggle in silence. Use one of the services on offer or if you aren’t sure what you need, we can guide you.
