Carer's Leave & Employment Rights Checker UK 2025
Looking after a family member, partner, or friend with a disability, long-term illness or care need? Since April 2024, employees have the statutory right to 5 days’ unpaid carer’s leave per year under the Carer's Leave Act 2023. Combined with flexible working rights, Carer's Allowance, and Carer's Credit, this guide covers everything you are entitled to.
Carer’s Leave Act 2023: 5 days unpaid leave/year, day-one right. Carer’s Allowance 2025/26: £81.90/week (earnings limit £151/week net). Carer’s Credit: fill NI gaps for 20+ hours/week carers not getting CA. Universal Credit carer element: £198.31/month if receiving CA or providing 35hrs care for qualifying person.
The Carer’s Leave Act 2023 — Key Rules
In force from 6 April 2024, this gives employees a day-one statutory right to up to 5 days’ unpaid leave per year to arrange or provide care. Key details:
- No minimum length of service — applies from your first day of employment
- Leave can be taken as individual days, half days, or in a block up to a week
- You must give notice: at least 3 days for a single day or half day; twice the requested leave period for longer blocks
- Employers cannot ask you to provide evidence of the caring need
- The leave is unpaid (employers can choose to pay, but are not required to)
- Dismissal or detriment for taking carer’s leave is automatically unfair
Carer’s Allowance — Earnings Trap Warning
Carer’s Allowance has an earnings cliff edge. If your net weekly earnings exceed £151/week (2025/26) you lose the entire £81.90/week benefit — not proportionally, but completely. This creates a trap where earning a small amount above the threshold costs you more in lost Carer’s Allowance than the extra earnings are worth. If you are close to the limit, consider reducing hours slightly or making additional pension contributions to reduce net earnings below the threshold. HMRC calculates earnings after deducting: income tax; NI; 50% of pension contributions; and allowable business expenses for the self-employed.
Universal Credit and Caring
If you receive Carer’s Allowance, your Universal Credit includes a carer element of £198.31/month. You also cannot be required to look for work or increase your hours while you are caring and receiving CA. If you provide at least 35 hours of care but do not receive CA (e.g. because the person does not yet have a qualifying benefit), you may still receive the UC carer element if awarded the Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity component.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not in full. If your State Pension is equal to or more than the Carer’s Allowance rate (£81.90/week in 2025/26), you cannot receive Carer’s Allowance on top. However, you may still have “underlying entitlement” to Carer’s Allowance, which means you can receive the carer premium or carer element in other means-tested benefits such as Pension Credit and Housing Benefit, even if you cannot receive the Carer’s Allowance payment itself.
Your employer must genuinely consider any flexible working request but can refuse on one of eight statutory business grounds. Since April 2024, you can make two flexible working requests per year from day one of employment. If refused, you can appeal internally and then take the matter to an employment tribunal if the request was not properly considered. The new Code of Practice on flexible working also applies.