Carers Rights Day takes place on Thursday 19 November 2026, with this year's campaign asking: “Someone you know is a carer – but do they know it yet?” Organised by Carers UK, the event highlights how people caring for relatives, partners or friends often fail to recognise themselves as unpaid carers and may miss out on support. It comes amid new evidence of the pressures facing working carers and a government review of their employment rights.
In Brief
Carers Rights Day 2026 takes place on Thursday 19 November, raising awareness of unpaid carers and their rights. For working carers, paid Carer's Leave remains under consideration, while stronger flexible working rules are planned for 2027.
Key Points
- One in five UK employees is a working carer, and an estimated 1.1 million people left employment to provide care in the two years to July 2026, according to Carers UK polling.
- Employees have a day-one right to one week of unpaid Carer's Leave each year.
- Carers UK wants ten days of paid Carer's Leave; the Government's review is expected to report in early 2027.
- Flexible working reforms planned for autumn 2027 will require employers to show that refusing a request is reasonable.
- A Carer's Allowance earnings taper is planned for 2030–31 in England and Wales.
One in Five Employees Has Caring Responsibilities
New research published in September suggests that one in five UK employees combines paid work with unpaid care. Based on polling by Opinium, Carers UK estimates that 1.1 million people left employment to provide care in the preceding two years, equivalent to around 1,500 a day.
A separate May report, drawing on a survey of working carers, found that 47% of those in employment were considering reducing their hours or leaving work. Inflexible working arrangements, exhaustion and inadequate social care were among the pressures identified. These are survey-based estimates, not administrative counts of people leaving employment.
For working carers, reducing hours or giving up work can affect earnings, pensions and career progression. Employers risk losing experienced staff where caring responsibilities become incompatible with their working arrangements.
Existing Employment Rights for Working Carers
Since April 2024, eligible employees in Great Britain have had a day-one right to up to one week of unpaid Carer's Leave every 12 months. It can be taken in days or half-days to provide or arrange care for a dependant with long-term care needs. Employers cannot refuse the entitlement, although leave can be postponed where its timing would cause serious disruption.
Employees also have a right to reasonable unpaid time off for emergencies involving dependants. Separately, flexible working can be requested from the first day of employment, but there is no automatic right to the requested arrangement. Employers must consider requests properly and can refuse them only on specified statutory business grounds.
Regular caring demands can be harder to accommodate than occasional emergencies. Our earlier article on working carers examined the difficulty of balancing ongoing care with paid employment.
Paid Leave and Flexible Working Reform
The Government is reviewing whether unpaid carers and parents of seriously ill children need stronger employment protections. A consultation launched in June examined existing Carer's Leave rights, access to guidance and options for further support. In its September 2026 report, Carers UK called for ten days of statutory paid Carer's Leave, while recommending five days as a practical first step during this Parliament. The Government has not yet committed to introducing paid leave. In a September parliamentary answer, Employment Rights Minister Kate Dearden said the review's final report was expected in early 2027, alongside the Government's response to the consultation and next steps.
Flexible working reforms, which could be particularly significant for working carers, are further advanced. Under the Employment Rights Act 2025, employers will have to follow prescribed steps when consulting employees before refusing statutory requests, and show that refusal is reasonable. The changes are intended to take effect in autumn 2027. Acas is consulting on an updated Code of Practice; the existing rules continue to apply meanwhile.
Carer's Allowance and Recognition at Work
The Autumn Budget 2026 announced a separate financial reform. Currently, earning above the Carer's Allowance weekly limit can result in the loss of the entire payment. The proposed 100% taper would allow working carers to keep part of the payment as earnings exceed the limit, rather than losing it altogether. It is planned for 2030–31 in England and Wales, with approximately 48,000 carers expected to benefit.
The Government's July Unpaid Carers Action Plan, which applies to England, aims to improve the identification of unpaid carers and their access to support. It also encourages wider use of Carer Passports, which can help working carers explain their responsibilities and discuss the support they may need from their employers.
Carers Rights Day 2026 therefore arrives as new research points to significant employment pressures and further legal protections remain under consideration. Employers need not wait for legislation to act. Clear policies, trained managers and constructive discussions about working arrangements can help working carers remain in employment rather than reduce their hours or leave.
Employers: What This Means
Carers Rights Day 2026 is a prompt for employers to check that policies and managers reflect working carers' current rights and the reforms ahead.
- Recognising working carers: Make it easy for employees to tell you about caring responsibilities. A Carer Passport can keep a confidential record of agreed support, so it need not be re-explained when managers change.
- Carer's Leave and emergencies: Employers cannot refuse a valid Carer's Leave request, but may postpone it if the absence would cause serious disruption. They cannot require evidence of caring responsibilities. Employees are protected from detriment and dismissal for taking or requesting the leave. Emergency time off for dependants is a separate right.
- Flexible working: Decide requests within two months, unless an extension is agreed, and consult the employee before any refusal. Review procedures ahead of the consultation steps and reasonableness test planned for autumn 2027.
- Retention and workplace support: Consider offering paid Carer's Leave voluntarily. The Government's review, which covers a statutory right to paid leave, is expected to report in early 2027.
