What Carers UK does

Carers UK is a UK registered charity (charity number 246329 in England & Wales; SC039307 in Scotland) and company limited by guarantee, founded in 1965 and headquartered at 20 Great Dover Street, London, with regional offices in Glasgow (Carers Scotland), Cardiff (Carers Wales), and Belfast (Carers NI). The organisation serves the UK's approximately 5.8 million unpaid carers — including around 5 million who juggle caring with paid work and roughly 1.7 million providing 50+ hours of care per week — across all four UK nations. Its primary customer segments are individual unpaid carers (all ages), working carers, young and young adult carers, employers/HR professionals, and health and care professionals.

Its core product set is delivered digitally through the Carers UK website and includes the Jointly app (care coordination), an embedded Turn2us Benefits Calculator, the members-only Carers Connect forum (available 24/7), online meetups (Care for a Cuppa, Share and Learn), the Carers Active Hub wellbeing platform, downloadable guides and factsheets, and the Being Heard self-advocacy guide. Non-digital services include a telephone and email helpline (0808 808 7777, Mon–Fri 9am–6pm), a phone service for unpaid carers who do not use the internet, and an annual flagship research product, the State of Caring Survey.

The business model is a freemium charitable model: all core services and membership are free to unpaid carers, with revenue drawn from individual donations (one-off, regular, payroll, major gifts, legacies), community and challenge-event fundraising (e.g., Kiltwalk), grants from charitable trusts and foundations, and corporate/strategic partnerships (e.g., BT, Nutricia). A secondary B2B revenue stream is built around Employers for Carers and the Carer Confident accreditation scheme, which sells employer membership and accreditation plus a Carer's Leave Act support package to UK employers. Distribution is primarily self-serve digital via the website and regional sub-sites, supplemented by a national helpline, a directory of local carer organisations, and a professionals network for health, care, and HR buyers.

Name

Carers UK

Legal name

Carers UK

Website

https://carersuk.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Carers UK is a UK registered charity, founded in 1965, that provides free information, advice, digital tools, and advocacy services to the country's 5.8 million unpaid carers, plus employer accreditation and policy work across all four UK nations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Carer Support Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Family Caregiver Coaching, Education & Support (HSABAIAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Caregiver Support, Coaching & Training (HLADALAG), Care Management & Care Coordination (Home & Community-Based) (HLAFAEAL)

Keywords

• Unpaid carer support
• Carer information services
• Carer advice charity
• Carer advocacy services
• Carer benefits guidance

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Membership: Carers UK operates as a registered charity with free membership. Donations are sought through multiple channels: one-time donations, regular giving, payroll giving, major gifts, and legacy bequests. The organisation emphasises that membership is free and donations, while requested, are not required.
2. Fundraising: Carers UK raises funds through challenge events (e.g., Kiltwalk for Carers Scotland), workplace fundraising, community collections, and peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns. Fundraising ideas and tips are provided on the website.
3. Corporate and Strategic Partnerships: Carers UK partners with corporations (e.g., BT on digital switchover) and strategic partners to generate support, including potentially funding. Corporate partnerships are managed through a dedicated page and programme.
4. Trusts and Foundations: Partnerships with charitable trusts and foundations provide grant funding to support Carers UK's programmes and campaigns. A dedicated trusts and foundations partnership page is available on the website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Carers UK is the UK's leading charity for unpaid carers, providing free expert information, advice, and peer support services across all four UK nations. Its core offerings include a telephone and email helpline, an online community forum (Carers Connect), a benefits calculator, the Jointly care-coordination app, downloadable guides and factsheets, online meetups, and policy/research outputs such as the State of Caring survey.

Product overview

Carers UK is a charity offering a broad suite of information, advice, and support services for unpaid carers across the UK. Its core digital products include an online Benefits Calculator (powered by Turn2us), the Jointly care coordination app, and a members-only Forum (Carers Connect). Support services include a telephone and email Helpline, online meetups (Care for a Cuppa, Share and Learn), and the Carers Active Hub for wellbeing. The organization provides extensive guides and factsheets, including the Being Heard self-advocacy guide and the Looking After Someone guide. Professional-facing offerings include Digital Products and Services, Carer Confident employer benchmarking, and Carer's Leave Act support. The annual State of Caring Survey is its flagship research product informing policy and campaigning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Benefits Calculator An online benefits calculator, powered by Turn2us and embedded on the Carers UK website, that helps unpaid carers check their potential eligibility for welfare benefits including Carer's Allowance, Attendance Allowance, and PIP.
• Jointly App A mobile and web application designed to help families and unpaid carers coordinate care for a loved one by enabling communication, task sharing, and organisation among care networks.
• Carers UK Helpline A telephone (0808 808 7777) and email information and signposting service staffed Monday-Friday 9am-6pm including Bank Holidays, providing unpaid carers with guidance on benefits, rights, carer's assessments, and local services. The service is a member of the Helplines Partnership.
• Carers UK Forum (Carers Connect) An online community forum available to Carers UK members 24/7, 365 days a year, enabling unpaid carers to connect, share experiences, ask questions, and offer peer support.
• Care for a Cuppa Regular online meetup sessions where unpaid carers can chat informally with fellow carers over a virtual cuppa, providing social connection and peer support to promote wellbeing.
• Share and Learn Online sessions offering information, education, and skill-building for unpaid carers on practical and emotional support topics.
• Carers Active Hub A wellbeing platform providing resources, activities, and guidance to help unpaid carers maintain their physical and mental health while managing caring responsibilities.
• Being Heard Self-Advocacy Guide A self-advocacy guide tailored to each UK nation, helping unpaid carers understand their rights and gain confidence to assert them with professionals and decision-makers.
• MyBackUp Contingency Planning Tool A contingency planning tool helping unpaid carers prepare for emergencies by creating plans for care coverage when the primary carer is unavailable.
• Carer Savings Hub Guidance and resources to help unpaid carers save money on household costs, including energy bills, council tax, and everyday expenses.
• Financial Toolkit Tools and resources to help unpaid carers manage their finances, budget effectively, and access available support.
• Phone Service for Unpaid Carers A telephone-based information and support service for unpaid carers who do not use the internet, ensuring accessibility of support for all carers.
• State of Caring Survey The UK's most comprehensive annual research survey into the lives and experiences of unpaid carers, providing evidence for policy work and campaigning.
• Carer's Leave Act Support Package Resources, templates, and guidance for UK employers on implementing the Carer's Leave Act, helping workplaces support employees with caring responsibilities.
• Carer Confident Accreditation Scheme An employer benchmarking and accreditation scheme, part of the Employers for Carers suite, that recognises organisations which support employee carers. The scheme has been independently assessed and Carers UK itself is accredited.

Quantifiable outcome

• The UK state pension age rise will cost approximately 26,000 unpaid carers up to £134.82 per week in Carer's Allowance
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Access Social Care (AccessAva)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarers UK has partnered with Access Social Care to offer AccessAva, an online solution that helps carers in England find out about their social care rights and the rights of the people they care for. This partnership extends the reach of specialist social care guidance available through Carers UK's services.
• Turn2uscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTurn2us, a national charity helping people in financial hardship to access welfare benefits, provides a benefits calculator integrated into the Carers UK website. This allows carers to explore their potential entitlements as part of their financial support guidance.
• BTminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarers UK has a partnership with BT relating to the UK digital switchover, helping ensure carers and those they care for are supported during the transition from analogue to digital landlines, which affects assisted-living devices and personal alarms.
• Shared Care ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarers UK and Shared Care Scotland co-published a briefing on Carer Friendly Communities and Short Breaks for Carers Week 2026, highlighting the action needed to create carer-friendly communities and improve access to respite breaks.
• Carers Week Partner CharitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarers UK leads Carers Week alongside a coalition of partner charities including Age UK, Alzheimer's Society, Macmillan Cancer Support, Motor Neurone Disease Association, and others, coordinating the UK's largest annual awareness campaign for carers.
• NutriciaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCarers UK partnered with nutritional expert Nutricia to co-produce free online guides on nutrition and eating well, ensuring carers and those they care for have all the nutrients they need.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Carers Trust: UK charity network of independent local carer organisations. Directly comparable as a national membership body supporting unpaid carers with information, advice, and a network of local services, often co-delivering Carers Week with Carers UK.
• Alzheimer's Society: Major UK dementia charity that supports family carers of people with dementia with information, helplines, and local services. Highly comparable for the dementia-carer segment that intersects heavily with Carers UK's audience.
• Motor Neurone Disease Association: UK charity supporting people with MND and their carers. Comparable for high-intensity, complex-condition family caring — exactly the population Carers UK serves with information and peer support.

Broad incumbents

• Age UK: UK's largest charity for older people. Overlapping remit on later-life issues, benefits guidance, and helpline services for older carers and the people they care for; regularly co-leads Carers Week with Carers UK.
• Macmillan Cancer Support: UK charity supporting people affected by cancer, including a large family-carer audience with information, financial guidance, and a helpline. Comparable for the informal-carer support model and Carers Week partnership.
• AARP: Large US membership organisation for older Americans that runs a major family-caregiving programme with research, policy advocacy, and online community. Comparable as a scaled, membership-led, ageing-focused advocacy and information body.

Regional players

• Family Carers Ireland: Ireland's national charity for family carers, offering information, training, and advocacy. Closest geographic peer outside the UK; highly comparable mission and service mix.
• Carer Gateway (Australian Government): Australian Government initiative delivering phone, online, and in-person support services for unpaid carers. Comparable government-backed one-stop-shop model for carer information, advice, and respite.
• Family Caregiver Alliance (National Center on Caregiving): US non-profit providing information, education, and policy advocacy for family caregivers of adults with chronic or disabling conditions. Closest US analogue to Carers UK's information and policy role.

Emerging players

• Carers Scotland / Crossroads Youth & Community Associations: Smaller Scottish charities delivering carer support services at a regional level. Comparable as community-based carer service providers that complement (and sometimes substitute for) Carers UK's national offering in Scotland.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CarersUK
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CarersUK
• Facebookfacebook.com/carersuk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carers-uk
• Instagraminstagram.com/carers_uk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Carers UK