Fiona's reality
“It’s not an allowance. It’s unpaid labour.”
My mum is on a state pension. I get Carer’s Allowance for looking after her. I’m fortunate enough to have some savings, which help—but they’re dwindling fast.
Her pension covers her care costs, council contributions, and utility bills. After that, there’s nothing left, not for food, clothes, or basic repairs to the house.
Carer’s Allowance is insulting. You’re expected to provide a minimum of 35 hours of care each week, often far more, and you receive just £83.30. You’re technically ‘allowed’ to earn an additional £110 a week, but how are you supposed to do that while caring full-time? At 35 hours, this works out to just 41p an hour. And let’s be honest, care doesn't stop at 35 hours. It doesn’t stop at 9pm. It’s 24/7.
If we want care to be valued in society, carers must be paid a living wage, not an ‘allowance’. The current system is miles away from the minimum wage, and it fails to reflect the reality of the role.
I’m one of the lucky ones. I had some savings. But many carers have none. If you’re caring full-time, how are you meant to pay your bills, let alone plan for your own future?
I’ve spent nearly all my savings on my mother’s needs. I don’t have children. I don’t know what’s going to happen to me in the years ahead. But right now, my future looks bleak. It looks poor. It looks forgotten.
Recently, I had to pay a £700 energy bill. I had no choice but to put it on a credit card. That used to be rare. Now it’s normal. Utility companies and banks expect people to be in crisis. They know we’re struggling. Language matters. Calling this an “allowance” devalues the work and sacrifice involved. It’s not an allowance. It’s unpaid labour. It’s emotional, physical, and financial sacrifice, and it saves the UK government an estimated £162 billion a year.*
That number should be a wake-up call. Carers prop up the system. We deserve more than gratitude. We deserve basic rights, and that starts with fair pay.
*Unpaid care in England and Wales valued at £445 million per day | Carers UK