Carers

You’ll usually have to pay Council Tax if you’re 18 or over. A full Council Tax bill is based on at least 2 adults living in a home. If there is only one adult living in a property, a 25 per cent discount is applied to the Council Tax bill. This is often known as the single person’s discount.

When counting how many people live in a property, you can ignore certain people, as they may be ‘invisible’ for Council Tax purposes.

Some carers count as ‘invisible’ for Council Tax. This includes any carer providing at least 35 hours of care a week to a person on a qualifying benefit who is not:

• their partner 
• their dependent child under the age of 18.

If only one person is ‘visible’ for Council Tax you will get a 25 per cent discount. If no one is ‘visible’, you will get a 50 per cent discount on your Council Tax. You can read more about this on the gov.uk website.

If you are in Northern Ireland, this won’t apply checkout if you can apply for a rate relief. 

If you are caring for someone and not paying National Insurance (NI), it may lower your State Pension. However, if you care for someone for at least 20 hours per week, you could get Carer's Credit, which helps to maintain your NI record. 

If you get Carer’s Allowance, you'll get Carer's Credit automatically, but you don’t have to be receiving Carer’s Allowance to get Carer's Credit. 

Carer's Credit is useful if someone else is getting Carer’s Allowance for the person you jointly care for, or you don’t meet the Carer’s Allowance criteria. Find out more about Carer's Credit on the GOV.UK website.

• Cinemas – A CEA Card entitles someone in receipt of PIP or DLA to a free ticket for someone to accompany them to participating UK cinemas.
• Days out - Visitor attractions and leisure facilities may offer discounts to you and the person you care for. Get in touch with them before you go and find out what help they can offer you. 
• Travel – A disabled person’s railcard gives a disabled person a third off their ticket price and if you travel with them, you will also get a third off. 
• CarerSmart is a scheme put together by Carers Trust to offer benefits such as cash back, deals and discounts on insurance, travel, high street shops and much more. 

You may be able to claim Carer's Allowance if you spend at least 35 hours a week caring.

Find out if you are eligible

Some carers may be able to additional elements or premiums added to additional benefits they receive. 

Whether you’re claiming benefits or not, it’s a good idea to check you are receiving all that you are entitled to. There are a few different ways to check this, you could:  

• contact our Helpline if you would like to speak to our welfare team, or ask the CF social worker, if the person you care for has one
• use an independent benefits calculator to check which benefits you can apply for
• ask your nearest Citizens Advice. 

As a carer, you may be eligible for support from your local council. It might recommend things like:

• someone to take over caring so you can take a break
• gym membership and exercise classes to relieve stress
• help with taxi fares if you don't drive
• help with gardening and housework.

A carer's assessment is free and anyone over 18 can ask for one.

Before you receive any help from your local council, you need to have a carer's assessment. 

Find out how to get a carer's assessment 

It's separate from the needs assessment the person you care for might have.

Our Helpline is available to anyone looking for information or support with any aspect of cystic fibrosis, a listening ear, or just to talk things through. Our friendly team are here if you need us. 

If the person who you care for has a CF social worker in their CF team, they will be able to provide you with advice and support.

You can also get support from Carers Trust, or Carers UK, regarding your caring role. 

Our community forum is a space for people affected by CF to come together, share experiences, seek information, access support, and chat with others who know what you’re going through.

Money Helper has further information on benefits you may be able to claim as a carer.

If you, or the person you care for, need extra help to pay for something there are many grants, funds, and charities that may be able to help.