2021 caregiver allowance for relatives of disabled persons covers payments made to caregivers of individuals under 18 who cannot meet their basic self-care needs and require assistance from another person. When a relative or guardian must provide full-time care and therefore cannot work, the state provides an allowance for the caregiver of the disabled to help cover the basic care and living expenses of both the disabled person and the caregiver.
What Is the Caregiver Allowance for Relatives of Disabled Persons?
The caregiver allowance for relatives of disabled persons is a monthly payment granted to a person who is primarily responsible for the care of a disabled relative under age 18 and who is in need of financial support. There are specific eligibility criteria that applicants must meet in order to receive this allowance.
The main eligibility criteria are:
- The degree of disability of the person being cared for,
- The household’s assessed level of financial need,
- The age of the disabled person.
Features of the Caregiver Allowance
Key points to know about the caregiver allowance for those who provide close care to a dependent disabled person are:
- Individuals with a disability rate of 40% or higher often cannot manage daily needs or sustain their lives alone and therefore require a second person to provide care.
- The allowance is intended to help cover the basic care costs and necessities of the disabled person and to support the caregiver who provides that care.
- The purpose of the allowance is to help individuals and families with limited financial means maintain a decent standard of living while providing necessary care.
How Is the Caregiver Allowance Obtained?
Many caregivers spend most of their day attending to a relative with at least 40% disability and, as a result, lack the opportunity to work. For such situations, the procedure to apply for the caregiver allowance generally includes the following:
- The caregiver must reside with the disabled person and actively provide daily care.
- The allowance is provided by the state to a relative living in the same household who cares for a person with an official disability report.
- The allowance’s fundamental aim is to cover the disabled person’s basic care and living expenses.
- The disabled person must have an official disability report showing at least 40% disability.
How Much Is the Caregiver Allowance?
The amount of the caregiver allowance varies depending on the disability rate recorded in the official report. The Ministry of Family and Social Policies sets fixed amounts to help cover basic care needs, and these amounts may increase according to the severity of the disability.
Allowance amounts are:
- Individuals with disability rates between 20% and 39% may need special support but are generally not considered to have daily activities severely disrupted; in these cases the caregiver allowance is not granted.
- For disability rates between 40% and 69%, the caregiver allowance was set at 657 Turkish Lira.
- For disability rates of 70% and above, the allowance was set at 1,024 Turkish Lira.
What Conditions Must Be Met to Receive the Caregiver Allowance?
The primary condition is that the applicant is the caregiver of a dependent relative under 18 who has an official disability report showing a disability rate of at least 40%.
Other required conditions include:
- The disabled person must be under 18 years of age.
- The caregiver should not have other social security coverage that provides income.
- The caregiver must not receive alimony, and must live in the same household as the disabled person; if residence in the same household is not maintained, both the caregiver allowance and any disability pension may be terminated.
- The allowance must be used to meet the basic care needs of the disabled person; misuse may lead to immediate termination.
- If the caregiver is a parent, they should not have social security registrations that disqualify them from receiving the allowance.
- The household’s assets and income must not exceed the assessed need threshold.
- Applicants must not have income from real estate or other assets exceeding permitted limits.
- The disabled person’s report must be current and issued by a medical board at an institution collaborating with the Social Security Institution.
- An income assessment (means test) must be performed for all household members.
- The caregiver must have a kinship or blood relation to the disabled person.
When Is the Caregiver Allowance Terminated?
The caregiver allowance may be stopped if certain conditions change for either the disabled person or the caregiver. If the disability pension is terminated for any reason, the caregiver allowance is also withdrawn. Situations that lead to termination include:
- The death of the disabled person or the caregiver;
- The disabled person’s loss of Turkish citizenship or change of nationality to a country that does not recognize Turkish citizenship;
- The disabled person’s or caregiver’s voluntary waiver of rights;
- The disappearance of financial need;
- The disability level improving to below 40%;
- The disability benefit not being collected for two years;
- The caregiver beginning paid employment covered by social insurance;
- The caregiver no longer being able to provide actual care, moving away, or leaving the same household;
- The disabled person reaching 18 years of age;
- The disabled person or caregiver starting to pay regular premiums under a social security scheme or gaining other disqualifying benefits.
Who Cannot Receive the Caregiver Allowance?
Certain applicants are ineligible even if they apply. Those who cannot receive the caregiver allowance include:
- Individuals who already receive or can receive alimony;
- Those who receive income or pensions from social security institutions;
- Persons employed in insured jobs;
- Households whose income equals or exceeds the assessed need threshold;
- Persons who can afford private institutional care for the disabled family member;
- People classified as general health insurance beneficiaries under the Social Insurances and General Health Insurance Law who are not eligible under the stated provision;
- If the disabled person’s disability rate is 70% or higher and rules disallow caregiver payments in that situation, the application will be rejected.
Which Institutions Pay the Caregiver Allowance?
The caregiver allowance is administered through local Social Assistance and Solidarity Foundations. Eligible applicants who apply to the appropriate social security institutions and whose eligibility is confirmed by the relevant authorities receive payments under the law.
Institutions involved in providing the allowance include:
- Social Security Institution (Sosyal Güvenlik Kurumu),
- BAĞ-KUR,
- Retirement Fund and related bodies.
What Documents Are Required to Apply?
Authorities verify eligibility by reviewing submitted documents. Required documents for the caregiver allowance application typically include:
- Proof that no other allowance is being received from another source,
- Two passport-size photographs,
- An asset declaration,
- A poverty certificate or similar document,
- A detailed family registration record (vukuatlı nüfus kayıt belgesi),
- An application petition,
- A current medical report from an institution designated by the Social Security Institution, and any other documents requested by the local authority.
Where Should You Apply for the Caregiver Allowance?
Applications for caregiver allowances under the relevant legislation are submitted to the Social Assistance and Solidarity Foundation in the applicant’s place of residence. After the application is submitted, the applicant receives a receipt confirming that the application was received. The foundation will complete its evaluation and inform the applicant of the decision—positive or negative—within one month.
How Is the Means Test Calculated?
An important eligibility factor is whether the household falls below the means (poverty) threshold. The means test takes into account the income, assets, and expenses of all household members.
Key points of the means test:
- The household’s per-person average monthly income must be less than one third of the net monthly minimum wage.
- For 2021, that threshold was set at 852.53 Turkish Lira per person per month.
- If every household member’s monthly income is below 852.53 TL, the household may be eligible to apply.
- If the household owns a shop, its value is assessed at market value; income is calculated as one 240th of that market value plus any rental income.
What Happens to the Caregiver Allowance if the Parents of the Disabled Child Divorce?
If the parents of a disabled child under 18 divorce, eligibility is re-evaluated and the allowance may be reassigned based on custody and financial circumstances.
Outcomes following divorce:
- The parent who obtains custody of the disabled child can apply to have the allowance transferred to them.
- The custodial parent must submit the court decision to the Social Assistance and Solidarity Foundation in their area and request the transfer of payments.
- If the custodial parent receives alimony or another regular support payment, they may be ineligible for the caregiver allowance under applicable law.