How to Claim Carer's Allowance Online and on the DS700 Form

Choosing Your Application Route

DWP offers two ways to submit a Carer's Allowance claim in England and Wales: the online portal at gov.uk/carers-allowance or the paper DS700 form sent by post. Northern Ireland has its own online portal through nidirect.gov.uk and its own paper forms through the Department for Communities.

The online route is faster — most people complete it in about 20 minutes, and DWP receives it instantly. Paper claims take longer to arrive and longer to process.

If you receive a State Pension, use form DS700(SP) instead of the standard DS700. DWP needs the extra pension details to work out whether you'll get a cash payment or an underlying entitlement.

What You'll Need Before You Start

Gather these before opening the form:

• Your National Insurance number and the National Insurance number of the person you care for
• The cared-for person's disability benefit reference — their PIP, DLA, Attendance Allowance, or Armed Forces Independence Payment claim number
• Your employment details — employer name, address, gross pay, pay frequency, your last payslip before the date of your claim, and any payslips since then (employed); or your most recent annual trading accounts (self-employed)
• Pension contribution amounts — how much you pay into a workplace or personal pension each pay period
• Bank account details — sort code and account number for where you want payments sent
• Course details if you're studying — institution name, course title, and supervised contact hours per week

Filling In the Online Form

The gov.uk online form walks through each section with one question per screen. The main sections cover:

1. Your details — name, address, date of birth, National Insurance number
2. The cared-for person — their name, address, date of birth, NI number, and which qualifying benefit they receive
3. Your caring role — confirming you spend 35 or more hours a week caring, and when you started
4. Work and earnings — gross pay, pay frequency, employer details, and whether you pay into a pension
5. Education — whether you're on a course and how many supervised hours per week
6. Bank details — where to send payments
7. Declaration — confirming everything is accurate

Save your reference number when you submit. You'll need it if you phone the Carer's Allowance Unit about your claim.

Using the Paper DS700

Download the DS700 from gov.uk or ask the Carer's Allowance Unit to post one to you (telephone 0800 731 0297). Fill it in with a black pen, sign and date it, and post it to the Carer's Allowance Unit address printed on the form.

Attach photocopies (not originals) of your recent payslips, trading accounts, pension statements, and receipts for qualifying work expenses or care costs. DWP may contact you if they need anything else.

Backdating Your Claim

Carer's Allowance can be backdated up to three months from the date DWP receives your application, as long as you met all the eligibility conditions throughout that period. No special form is needed — the online and paper forms both ask when you started providing care, and DWP calculates the backdating automatically.

A longer backdating period applies when the cared-for person's qualifying benefit was awarded late or on appeal. If you claim within three months of the decision that awarded their disability benefit, DWP can backdate your Carer's Allowance to the start of their award.

How Long Processing Takes

DWP's current DS700 form says it normally gets back to you within 6 weeks, though this may change at busy times. Claims with complex earnings, self-employment, or a pending disability award for the cared-for person take longer.

You'll receive a decision letter by post explaining whether you've been awarded, at what rate, from what date, and what to do if you disagree.

After You're Awarded

Report any change in circumstances promptly — a pay rise, extra hours at work, a change in the cared-for person's disability award, starting a course, or a break in caring. Unreported changes can lead to overpayments that DWP will recover.

The Carer's Allowance Claim Guide covers how to calculate your net earnings before you apply, what happens to your household's other benefits, and how to avoid the most common overpayment traps.

See more United Kingdom guides →