AQW 12474/22-27

Ms Kellie Armstrong
Alliance Party
Strangford

Tabled Date: 23/05/2024
Answered On Date: 12/06/2024
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister for Communities to detail (i) his Department's process for assessing the income of persons in receipt of Carer's Allowance; (ii) how often this process is carried out; and (iii) the timeframe for notifying a carer of an overpayment.

Answer:

A person’s income is assessed using information provided on their application form or reported in a change of circumstances, which is then verified using His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs information. Where earnings are intermittent, they can be averaged. Allowable deductions are considered in all cases and include National Insurance Contributions, Income Tax, half of any personal or occupational pension contributions, and other expenses related to a person’s work.

Earnings are checked for each new claim and any time a change to a customer’s circumstances is reported. Where a customer has an irregular pattern of earnings, for example seasonal workers, monthly earnings checks are put in place to ensure that earnings do not exceed £151 per week after deductions. The income of self-employed people is subject to an annual review in line with the financial year for their business.

In 2023/24, overpayment notifications were issued to Carers Allowance customers within one week of an overpayment being identified.