Carer's Allowance

To qualify for Carer’s Allowance, you must:

• Be aged 18 or over
• Be habitually resident in Ireland
• Pass a means test
• Provide at least 35 hours of full-time care for another person over a minimum of 5 days per week
• Not live in a hospital, convalescent home, or similar care setting
• Not be employed, self-employed, doing voluntary work, training, or any education courses for a combined total of more than 18.5 hours per week

The person you are caring for must be:

• Aged 16 or over, and in need of full-time care and attention 
  for at least 12 months, or
• Aged under 16, and have Domiciliary Care Allowance in 
  payment

A person is regarded as needing full-time care and attention when:

• they need continual supervision to avoid danger or injury to 
  themselves, or
• they need continual supervision and support throughout the 
  day with normal bodily functions (for example, eating, drinking, 
  getting washed and dressed)

The person you care for can attend non-residential rehabilitation training or a day care centre. However, they cannot live in a hospital, convalescent home, or similar care setting. 

If the person you are caring for requires treatment in a hospital, you may continue to receive Carer’s Allowance in certain circumstances. You can find out more about hospital treatment and receiving Carer’s Allowance on gov.ie.

The Carer’s Allowance application consists of multiple parts. Your application will not be assessed unless you provide the following: 

1. This online application completed by you.
2. The paper medical form (CARMed1) completed by the doctor of the person you are caring for. If you are caring for someone under 16 years of age, this form is not required but Domiciliary Care Allowance must be in payment before you can be awarded Carer’s Allowance. The CARMed1 form is available to download on gov.ie.
3. A completed Employer Certificate (CA-ER1) for each employment you currently have. You do not have to provide this form if you are not employed. The CA-ER1 form is available to download on gov.ie.
4. A completed Education Certificate (CAR-ED1) if you are currently in training or education. The CAR-ED1 form is available to download on gov.ie.

There are three ways to provide the CARMed1, CA-ER1 and CAR-ED1 forms:

1. Upload them with your application
2. Upload them via the Manage My Claim service on your MyWelfare account dashboard. This will become available after your application has been submitted.
3. Post them to the below address

Carer’s Allowance Section,
Department of Social Protection, 
Government Buildings,
Ballinalee Road,
Longford,
N39 E4E0

Important note:

The quickest way to get a decision on your claim is to upload the CARMed1, CA-ER1 and CAR-ED1 forms with your online application. If you choose to upload or post these forms after submitting your online application, this will result in a delay in processing and decision making. If these forms are not provided within 21 days of submitting your online application, your claim will be withdrawn and you will need to start a new application.