DS700 Form Guidance: How to Fill In the Carer's Allowance Claim Form

Getting the Right Form

The DS700 is the standard Carer's Allowance claim form for England and Wales. If you get State Pension, use the DS700(SP) variant instead — it includes additional questions about your pension income.

In Northern Ireland, the form and process are separate. You apply through the nidirect portal or request a paper form from the Department for Communities (DfC) Disability and Carers Service.

You do not need to download the DS700 if you apply online. GOV.UK describes its online service as the quickest and easiest way to claim.

Section by Section

Your Personal Details

The form asks for your full name, date of birth, National Insurance number, address, phone number, and bank or building society details for payment. Double-check your NI number — a transposed digit is one of the most common causes of processing delays.

You can choose weekly payment in advance or payment every four weeks (one week in advance and three weeks in arrears) on the form.

The Person You Care For

You need their full name, date of birth, address (if different from yours), and the correct reference: their National Insurance number if they are 16 or over, or their DLA reference number if they are under 16.

The DWP checks the cared-for person's benefit status electronically. You do not need to attach proof of their disability award. If you do not know the reference, the cared-for person can find it on their benefit decision letter.

Your Caring Responsibilities

The form asks whether you provide care for at least 35 hours per week. It does not require a detailed hour-by-hour breakdown, but you should be ready to explain what you do if the Carer's Allowance Unit asks for more information.

Caring activities that count include personal care (washing, dressing, feeding), meal preparation, medication management, accompanying to medical appointments, supervision for safety, help with finances and correspondence, and emotional support connected to the disability. Night-time care counts too.

If you have had any breaks in caring — holidays, hospital stays, respite — note the dates. A break for most other reasons can be ignored for up to 4 weeks in a 26-week period. A break related to inpatient treatment can be ignored for up to 12 weeks in that 26-week period if you or the person you care for spent at least 8 of those weeks as an inpatient, subject to the other conditions.

Your Employment and Earnings

This is the section that causes the most problems. You must declare your current employment status, employer details, gross weekly pay, and any allowable deductions.

Employed earners: provide your earnings details and deductions. The DS700 checklist asks for the last payslip before the date you want to claim from, any payslips since that date, details of pension payments, and your P45.

Self-employed earners: provide your business earnings details. The DS700 checklist asks for your most recent finalised business accounts and details of any pension payments. It says tax returns cannot be accepted as evidence.

Variable earnings: if your pay fluctuates week to week — overtime, shift work, seasonal patterns — the DWP may average your earnings over a period rather than taking a single week. The Sayce Review (published November 2025) found that unclear guidance on averaging caused widespread overpayments, so accurate, consistent reporting of your typical earnings pattern is important.

Education and Training

If you are studying, declare the course name, institution, and the number of supervised study hours per week. You cannot claim if you are in full-time education or do 21 hours or more of supervised study a week. This includes classes, lectures, seminars and study time required by your education provider.

Evidence to Attach

Use the current DS700 checklist for the documents required for your circumstances:

• Employed earners: last payslip before the date you want to claim from, any payslips since that date, pension payment details, and your P45
• Self-employed earners: most recent finalised business accounts and pension payment details

You do not need medical evidence about the cared-for person's condition. The DWP verifies their disability benefit status internally.

Common Mistakes That Delay Processing

Missing reference numbers. Your National Insurance number is required. Give the cared-for person's National Insurance number if they are 16 or over, or their DLA reference if they are under 16.

Gross instead of net earnings. Some claimants write their gross pay in the earnings section and then declare no deductions. The Carer's Allowance Unit will calculate net earnings anyway, but providing the breakdown upfront avoids a follow-up request.

Not declaring all earnings. Tell DWP about your employment and self-employment earnings so it can calculate your Carer's Allowance earnings.

Forgetting to sign and date. Paper forms submitted without a signature are returned. Online claims handle this digitally.

After You Submit

The current claim form says DWP normally responds within 6 weeks, though this may take longer when it is busy. The decision arrives as a letter setting out whether you are entitled, the weekly rate, the start date, and any backdating. If you disagree with the decision, you have one month from the date of the decision to request a Mandatory Reconsideration.

The Carer's Allowance Claim Guide includes a DS700 preparation checklist that maps every section of the form to the evidence and figures you need, plus a printable earnings worksheet so you can calculate your countable net earnings before you start filling in the form.

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