How to Find Every Payment a Kinship Carer Can Claim in England Without a Benefits Adviser

The money available to kinship carers in England comes from three separate agencies — HMRC, the Department for Work and Pensions and the local authority — and what you can claim depends on whether you have a special guardianship order, a child arrangements order or no court order at all. Finding every payment without a benefits adviser means systematically checking each agency yourself and understanding how the payments interact. Here is how to do it, and where the Money for Kinship Carers in England guide fits if you want the full picture in one printable document.

Step 1: Know Your Legal Arrangement

Before anything else, identify which legal arrangement you have. This single fact determines which agency is responsible for what:

Informal care (no court order): The birth parent still holds full parental responsibility. You can claim Child Benefit and Universal Credit (or Pension Credit if over State Pension age) from HMRC and DWP. The local authority may provide discretionary Section 17 support for a "child in need" but has no obligation to pay a regular allowance.

Child arrangements order ("lives with"): You share parental responsibility for the duration of the order. HMRC and DWP claims are the same as informal care. The local authority may pay a discretionary allowance — especially if the child was previously looked after — but is not required to.

Special guardianship order: You hold primary parental responsibility. HMRC and DWP claims are the same. The local authority has a mandatory duty under Section 14F of the Children Act 1989 to assess your need for financial support, including a means-tested SGO allowance.

Kinship fostering (looked-after child): The local authority pays a fostering allowance at or above the National Minimum Allowance rate. You cannot claim Child Benefit or the Universal Credit child element — those payments are blocked because the child is technically in state care.

If you are unsure which arrangement you have, check whether you received a court order. No paperwork from a court means informal care.

Step 2: Check HMRC Payments

Two payments come from HMRC, regardless of your arrangement (unless the child is looked-after):

1. Child Benefit — claim on Form CH2. Not means-tested. Generally payable to the person responsible for a child under 16, or under 20 if they are in approved full-time non-advanced education or training. If claims compete, residence priority goes to the person the child actually lives with. Claiming Child Benefit also protects NI qualifying years for carers under State Pension age.

2. Guardian's Allowance — claim on Form BG1. Paid on top of Child Benefit when both parents have died or one has died and a statutory exception applies to the surviving parent, such as being untraceable or serving a prison sentence of at least two years. Worth £22.95 per week in 2026/27. Often missed because carers do not realise the "one parent deceased" exception may qualify them.

Step 3: Check DWP Payments

What you claim from DWP depends on your age:

Working age (under State Pension age):

• Universal Credit with child element(s) for the child
• Carer element if the child receives Disability Living Allowance (middle or higher rate care) — you do not need a separate Carer's Allowance claim to trigger the UC carer element
• Be aware: Carer's Allowance is deducted pound-for-pound from Universal Credit, but the carer element is not — this distinction catches many carers out

Over State Pension age:

• Pension Credit with child addition
• Different capital rules (Pension Credit disregards the first £10,000 and has no upper capital limit; UC has a £6,000 lower threshold and £16,000 upper limit)

The two-child limit: The Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Act 2026 repealed the limit for assessment periods starting on or after 6 April 2026. Kinship carers can now claim the child element for every eligible child, subject to the other Universal Credit rules and the Benefit Cap.

Step 4: Check Local Authority Payments

This is where most carers get stuck, because council payments vary by area and by legal arrangement:

• SGO allowance: If you have a special guardianship order, your council must assess your need. The means test starts from the local fostering rate and deducts Child Benefit and the UC child element. Request the written calculation — you are entitled to see it, and many council calculations contain errors.
• CAO allowance: Discretionary. Some councils pay it; many do not. Ask your council's children's services team directly.
• Section 17 support: Emergency cash, vouchers or goods for a child in need. Discretionary but available regardless of your legal arrangement.
• Kinship Allowance Pilot: If your council is Bexley, Bolton, Newcastle, North East Lincolnshire, Medway, Thurrock or Wiltshire, you hold an SGO or "lives with" CAO or are on a formal trajectory toward one, and the child meets the pilot's "otherwise in care" criteria, you may qualify for a non-means-tested weekly allowance equal to the fostering rate. This payment is disregarded for Universal Credit, Child Benefit, Guardian's Allowance, Tax-Free Childcare and Pension Credit.
• Kinship local offer: Since 2024, councils must publish a local kinship offer explaining what support is available. Search your council's website or request it in writing.

Step 5: Check for Interactions and Traps

The payments do not exist in isolation. Several interaction rules catch carers who apply for each payment without understanding how they affect one another:

• A backdated lump-sum SGO allowance can take savings above Universal Credit's £6,000 lower capital threshold or Pension Credit's £10,000 capital disregard; UC has a £16,000 upper capital limit, while Pension Credit has no upper limit
• The Kinship Allowance Pilot payment is disregarded as income but may count under ordinary capital rules if retained in savings
• Carer's Allowance reduces Universal Credit pound-for-pound — but the UC carer element does not — so claiming Carer's Allowance can actually leave you no better off
• Child Benefit can protect NI qualifying years for carers under pension age; if a birth parent claims it and does not need the credits, an eligible grandparent may be able to receive transferred Specified Adult Childcare credits using Form CA9176

The DIY Approach vs the Guide

You can do all of this yourself using GOV.UK, the Kinship charity's guides, Citizens Advice and your council's website. The information is publicly available and accurate.

The practical difficulty is time. Each agency's information lives on a separate website. The interaction rules (how one payment affects another) are not documented in one place by any government source. The council means-test challenge process is not explained on most council websites.

The Money for Kinship Carers in England guide puts all of the above into one document: an arrangement-by-arrangement matrix, 14 chapters covering every payment, two worked arithmetic examples, a 22-item application checklist, a multi-agency contact log and a template letter for requesting your council's means-test calculation. The free checklist is available immediately.

If you have the time and confidence to navigate six government portals and your council's children's services team, you do not need the guide. If you want the full picture tonight in one printable reference, that is what it is for.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many payments can a kinship carer actually claim at once?

It depends on your arrangement and circumstances, but a special guardian could potentially receive: Child Benefit, Guardian's Allowance (if eligible), Universal Credit or Pension Credit with the child element or addition, the UC carer element (if you provide 35 or more hours of care and the child receives DLA middle or high care rate, or another qualifying disability benefit), the SGO allowance from the council, and the Kinship Allowance Pilot payment (if the child meets the pilot criteria in a participating area). The guide's worked examples show the total for two common scenarios.

What if I apply to the wrong agency first?

This is the "wrong-payer trap" — one of the most common problems kinship carers face. Applying to the council for an allowance you should be claiming from DWP (or vice versa) can delay payments by months. The arrangement matrix in the guide shows which agency is responsible for each payment under each legal status.

Can I get a benefits adviser for free?

Yes — Citizens Advice offers free benefits advice, and some areas have specialist welfare rights services. The Kinship charity helpline (0300 123 7015) and the Family Rights Group advice line (0808 801 0366) are also free. Wait times vary, and a single appointment may not cover every agency.

What if I use the guide and it does not help?

Email [email protected] for a full refund, no time limit.

See more England guides →