Carer Support Payment

Overview

Carer Support Payment is the Scottish weekly benefit for people who provide at least 35 hours of care each week to someone who is themselves receiving a qualifying disability benefit. Administered by Social Security Scotland, it replaced Carer's Allowance for new Scottish claimants, with existing Carer's Allowance cases transferring across in phases. Eligibility mirrors the DWP's Carer's Allowance in the key respects: a minimum 35 hours of care, a weekly earnings cap after tax and allowable expenses, and a bar on full-time study. The carer does not need to be a relative of or live with the person they care for. Unlike Carer's Allowance, Carer Support Payment can in limited circumstances be paid to people in some types of education. The payment is taxable and counts as income for other means-tested benefits, so claimants should consider the household-wide effect before applying; it can, for example, affect the severe disability addition that the cared-for person may be receiving in Pension Credit. The claim also protects National Insurance credits relevant to State Pension entitlement. Individual eligibility and rate are determined by Social Security Scotland. This page references figures and criteria from the primary mygov.scot source; the authoritative source for any individual award remains Social Security Scotland.

Applies in Scotland. Administered by Social Security Scotland. This page is general information; contact Social Security Scotland for your individual circumstances.

Rates

Eligibility criteria include

• AGE
  Applicant must be aged 16 or over. ^{[Scottish Government]}
• RESIDENCE
  Applicant must usually live in Scotland, or have lived in England, Wales, Ireland, the Channel Islands, or the Isle of Man for at least 26 weeks of the last 52 weeks. ^{[Scottish Government]}
• WORK STATUS
  For Carer Support Payment, the applicant must provide unpaid care for 35 hours or more a week. ^{[Scottish Government]}
• INCOME
  For Carer Support Payment, the applicant must not earn above a certain amount if they work. ^{[Scottish Government]}
• OTHER
  For Carer Additional Person Payment, the applicant must also get Carer Support Payment and provide unpaid care for the additional person for 20 hours or more a week. ^{[Scottish Government]}
• AGE
  There is more criteria to meet if the applicant is aged 16 to 19 and they study. ^{[Scottish Government]}
• OTHER
  Applicant cannot get Carer Support Payment if someone else already gets Carer's Allowance or the carer's element of Universal Credit for the same person. ^{[Scottish Government]}
• DISABILITY
  The person being cared for must get a qualifying benefit at the correct rate. ^{[Scottish Government]}
• HOUSEHOLD
  Two carers cannot get Carer Support Payment for caring for the same person. Only one carer per cared-for person can receive it. ^{[Scottish Government]}
• OTHER
  The care provided must be unpaid (e.g. as a family member or friend). Care provided as a professional care worker or through a volunteering scheme or charity is excluded. ^{[Scottish Government]}
• IMMIGRATION
  Applicants living in the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Iceland or Gibraltar may be eligible if they have a genuine and sufficient link to Scotland. Applicants or family members posted abroad as members of His Majesty's Armed Forces or as UK Civil Servants may also be eligible. ^{[Scottish Government]}

Sources