Carer's Allowance is a means-tested payment for carers who look after certain people in need of full-time care and attention on a full time basis. If you are in receipt of another social welfare payment and you are providing someone with full time care and attention you may qualify for a reduced rate of carer’s allowance in addition to your original payment.
From 14th March 2005, two carers who are providing care on a part-time basis in an established pattern can now be accommodated on the carer's allowance scheme.
Carer's Benefit is a payment for people who have made social insurance contributions and who have recently left the workforce or have reduced their hours of work to 15 hours per week or less and are looking after somebody in need of full-time care and attention. You can get carer’s benefit for a total of 2 years for each person being cared for. You may be eligible for carer’s leave.
The Carer's Support Grant is an annual payment made to carers by the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection. The name was changed in 2016. It was formerly called the Respite Care Grant.
Domiciliary Care Allowance is a monthly payment for a severely disabled child who is under age 16 and needs full-time care and attention far beyond what is normally required by a child of the same age.
A homemaker, for the purposes of the Homemaker’s Scheme (which was introduced from 6 April 1994), is a man or woman who provides full-time care for a child under age 12 or an ill or disabled person aged 12 or over.
HomeCaring Periods are part of a measure announced by the Government on 23 January 2018 to make improvements to pension calculations for post September 2012 state pension (contributory) pensioners with social insurance contribution gaps in their record.
For the purposes of the scheme anyone who was born on or after the 1st of September 1946 and spent time out of the workforce for caring duties can apply for a Home Caring Period for use under the new State Pension Contributory Aggregated Calculation Method of pension calculation.