Search Menu Please donate You are here: Home Information and advice Care & support Help for carers looking after a loved one Respite care: having a break from caring Respite care: having a break from caring It's important to take a break from care if you need one. Find out about respite care and how you arrange it, and how this may affect your benefits. What is respite care? How do I arrange respite care? Will a break affect my benefits? What is respite care? Respite care is the term used for services designed to give you a break from caring. It can come in many forms. Someone might come in to look after the person you care for on a regular basis, or take them out to an activity group or day centre. It might mean you can go on holiday, with or without the person you care for. If you're going away without the person you care for, they may have a temporary stay in a residential care. How do I arrange respite care? In some areas respite care is provided as a result of your carer’s assessment, while in others it’s provided through a needs assessment for the person you look after. If your assessment or the assessment for the person you care for shows you need respite care, the local council should provide it. You might be able to get financial support from the council to help you take a break, but respite services are means-tested so you or the person you care for may have to contribute towards the cost. Getting a carer’s assessment Will a break affect my benefits? If you have time off from caring, there are special rules to decide whether you'll continue to receive Carer's Allowance. The basic rule is that you can continue to receive your Carer's Allowance for up to four weeks in any six-month period if you have a break from caring. However, the rules are complicated, so you should get specialist advice from the Carer's Allowance Unit. If you're receiving any other benefits which include extra amounts for caring, these may be affected if you have a break from caring. Get specialist help You can get specialist help about the impact of respite care on your Carer's Allowance from the Government's Carer's Allowance Unit. Carer's Allowance Unit website We're here to help We offer support through our free advice line on 0800 678 1602. Lines are open 8am-7pm, 365 days a year. We also have specialist advisers at over 140 local Age UKs. About the Age UK Advice Line Find your local Age UK Share this page Share on Facebook Tweet Print Last updated: Mar 23 2021 Become part of our story Facebook Twitter Youtube Instagram Sign up today Email address About Age UK What we do Work for us Age International Media / Press Latest news Who we are Services Age UK Advice Line Befriending services Charity shops In your area Popular pages Benefits Calculator TV licence concessions Pension Credit Making a will Latest The difference your support makes Fix care for good Save free TV for older people Support links Linking policy Terms and conditions Privacy policy Publications Cookies Safeguarding About us Sitemap Contact us Modern slavery statement Age UK, Tavis House, 1-6 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9NA. Registered charity number 1128267. Company number 6825798. © Age UK Group and/or its National Partners (Age NI, Age Scotland and Age Cymru) 2021. All Rights Reserved