Going part time to care: what it costs you

The other side is the time. If the hours you drop are hours your parent needs someone with them, the comparison that matters is between the pay you give up and what it would cost to pay somebody for those hours instead. The calculator below sets the two side by side.

The tax and National Insurance are the 2026-27 income tax rates on GOV.UK, the Scottish rates if you pick Scotland, and the employee National Insurance thresholds for 2026-27, all checked on 6 November 2026. The care figures are what carers on PrimeCarers charge for hourly visits with our standard fee included; our pricing page explains the fee.

On £35,000, every pound you earn above the tax-free allowance loses 20% to income tax and 8% to National Insurance, so you keep 72p of each pound you give up. Fifteen hours of paid care at a typical rate costs about £98.20 a week more than the take-home pay you would lose. On £60,000, the pay you give up comes from the 40% band, so you keep less of each pound and the two figures come out close: a day of paid care costs about £6.07 a week more than the day's take-home pay.

In both cases, keeping your hours and paying for care also keeps your pension contributions and your full salary for future pay rises. The further up the tax bands you are, the closer the numbers come.

The minimum workplace pension contributions are on GOV.UK's workplace pensions page. The full new State Pension needs 35 qualifying years if your National Insurance record started after April 2016, according to GOV.UK, and you can check your State Pension forecast online. Carer's Credit is for people aged 16 to State Pension age who care for at least 20 hours a week for someone getting a qualifying disability benefit such as Attendance Allowance, or where a health or social care professional signs a care certificate (eligibility on GOV.UK, checked 6 November 2026).

1. 1

   You care for 35 hours a week or more

   For one person, or more than one added together

   It is not only hands-on help that counts: shopping, managing money, appointments and keeping your parent company count too.
2. 2

   Your parent gets a qualifying benefit

   Attendance Allowance is the usual one for older people

   The benefit has to be in payment already; a claim still waiting for a decision does not count. The middle or highest rate of the Disability Living Allowance care component and the daily living part of PIP also count.
3. 3

   You earn £204 a week or less

   After tax, National Insurance and expenses

   Half of what you pay into a pension counts as an expense. If you pay a carer who is not a close relative to look after your parent while you work, part of that cost counts too.

The earnings limit is a cliff edge rather than a taper: going even a pound over it in a week stops the allowance for that week, or for the month if you are paid monthly. Carers UK explains how this works and dates the £204 limit from 6 April 2026. The rate is on GOV.UK, and the earnings rules, including the deductions for pension contributions and care costs, are on the eligibility page, both checked 6 November 2026. Each week you get Carer's Allowance also gives you a National Insurance credit.

The Scottish Government sets the same £204 limit for Carer Support Payment and describes it as 16 hours' work at the National Living Wage, so the allowance is mainly for people who cut their hours a long way or stop work. Our guide to Carer's Allowance covers who qualifies, how it affects other benefits and how to claim.

Paid care does not have to match the hours you would drop. A parent who needs help getting up and a hot lunch may need two short visits a day, not a five-hour block, and visits are priced by the hour. You can mix the options too: one day a week at home with your parent and paid visits on the others. Every employee can ask for flexible working from their first day in a job, including a change to hours, start and finish times, days or where you work, and the employer must decide within two months. Balancing work with caring for a parent covers that request, Carer's Leave and time off in an emergency. To put a price on a week of visits, the cost of care guide has the figures for each type of care.