Last Updated: September 23, 2025
A landmark pioneering project has generated £6.9 million for unpaid carers and supports over 10,000 people to boost their finances.
Carer Money Matters is a service from Carers Trust that offers support and advice on money for carers and those they care for. It is funded by all four of the UK’s gas distribution networks and Carers Trust’s network of carer organisations.
The service was launched in March of last year and has supported over 10,000 carers since then. It has generated £6.9 million in potential income and savings, the majority of which are expected to be ongoing, such as increased benefit entitlements or reduced utility costs.
One carer accessing the service boosted their annual income by £13,000 with others benefitting from £10,000 or more. One carer stopped her house being repossessed thanks to the advice she received from the service.
In the UK, there are roughly six million unpaid carers. Around two-thirds of them have to give up their employment or cut their working hours due to the pressure caring brings. This can cause many carers to live in poverty.
In a recent survey from the Carers Trust, it found that 25% of carers have had to cut back on food and 65% were worried about being able to afford their energy bills.
Carer Money Matters was launched in an attempt to tackle these issues by offering one-to-one support for carers with the highest risk of financial hardship.
One carer said of the service, ‘I have never felt so supported in the four years I’ve been struggling. I feel like this support team have wrapped their arms around me.’
Individuals taking part in the service were offered help with benefits, budgeting and debt management alongside being offered grants and vouchers for urgent needs, such as buying essentials and unexpected care costs.
An evaluation report on the programme’s first year by Wavehill, a specialist economic and social research company found that most carers supported by the programme were not in paid work due to their caring responsibilities, with many having a low income or no income at all. Wavehill also found that over half of carers supported by the programme had their own long-term health conditions.
Many of the additional income and saving came through supporting the carers to access all the benefits and discounts they were already entitled to but not receiving, such as the Warm Home Discount, Social Water Tariffs, exemption from TV licences fees or council tax discounts.
The Wavehill report found that in addition to having a financial boost, carers also reported feeling more confident, having a greater preparedness for potential future financial challenges and reduced emotional stress. Many said this had a knock-on effect to those they cared for.
Kirsty McHugh, Chief Executive Officer at Carers Trust, said, ‘We’re incredibly grateful to the Gas Distribution Networks whose funding has made this vital project possible. Carers up and down the country are facing rocketing bills and risk being plunged into poverty by the pressures of their caring role. This project is all about meeting that challenge head-on by giving carers the advice and support they need to make savings on fuel bills where they can, and to increase their income. I’m delighted that 10,000 carers have been supported so far and we hope even more carers will benefit from this crucial service.
In other news, almost 350,000 disabled people in Scotland have had their disability benefits transferred from Personal Independence Payment (PIP) to Adults Disability Payment.
