An estimated 84,000 people in Scotland claiming Carer’s Allowance or Carer Support Payment will receive a one-off payment for £288.60 next month. Carer’s Allowance Supplement is an automatic payment made twice each year by the Scottish Government to recognise the important contribution made by unpaid carers.
To qualify for the automatic payment in December, people need to have been in receipt of either Carer’s Allowance from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), or the devolved Carer Support Payment from Social Security Scotland, on October 7, 2024. People who applied for either benefit before that deadline, who are waiting on an award decision, will receive the payment in arrears if their claim is successful.
The payment is administered by Social Security Scotland and delivered separately from Carer’s Allowance or Carer Support Payment. Guidance on mygov.scot also adds: “If you’re due to get a payment, you’ll get a letter from Social Security Scotland before the payment is made.”
Carer Support Payment
A new benefit for people in Scotland providing unpaid care is now available to claim nationwide following the successful completion of a staggered rollout across several council areas since November last year.
Carer Support Payment is the fourteenth benefit to be introduced by the Scottish Government and is worth £81.90 per week, some £327.60 every month. It is paid at the same rate as Carer’s Allowance, delivered by the DWP.
The national rollout from November 4 means that people living north of the border can no longer make a new claim to the DWP for Carer’s Allowance and should instead, apply for Carer Support Payment through Social Security Scotland.
The transfer of existing Carer’s Allowance claimants to the new payment began in February this year and is due to be completed by next Spring.
Carer Support Payment is available to those providing 35 or more hours of unpaid care each week to someone who gets disability benefits such as Adult Disability Payment (ADP), Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Child Disability Payment (CDP), Pension Age Disability Payment or Attendance Allowance.
However, unlike Carer’s Allowance, Carer Support Payment is available to some carers in education. This includes full-time students aged 20 or over and students under 20 who are in advanced or higher education.
In June, eligibility was extended to carers aged 16-19 in non-advanced education. This includes those studying for National Certificates, Highers and Advanced Highers, who meet certain criteria, for example, not having any parental support.
Backdated payments
As part of the roll out, new backdating rules were introduced meaning that some carers – mostly full-time students – living in the new areas such as Glasgow or Edinburgh, can apply to have their payments backdated to when Carer Support Payment was first introduced.
The backdating rules are designed to stop carers missing out on money they are entitled to because they live in an area included in the later phases of the rollout.
To get fully backdated payments under these special rules, carers should apply within 13 weeks of the benefit becoming available in their area. The deadline for carers living in the new areas – Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries & Galloway, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, Edinburgh, Falkirk, Glasgow, Highland, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Orkney Islands, Renfrewshire, Scottish Borders, Shetland Islands, Stirling, West Dunbartonshire and West Lothian, is February 2, 2025.
The deadline for carers living in the areas where the benefit opened in August – Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Fife, Moray and North, East and South Ayrshire – is November 17, 2024.
Carers may still be able to get fully backdated support after these deadlines if they have a good reason for missing the deadline.
Who can claim Carer Support Payment?
You cannot claim Carer Support Payment and Carer’s Allowance. You can claim the devolved payment from Social Security Scotland if you provide care for someone and meet certain eligibility criteria.
You must:
- be 16 or over
- usually live in Scotland
- provide care for 35 hours or more a week, this includes if you provide care all day every day
- not earn more than £151 a week after tax, National Insurance and expenses
Benefits the person you care for gets
To be eligible for Carer Support Payment, you must provide care for someone who gets one of these disability benefits:
- Adult Disability Payment – daily living component
- Child Disability Payment – middle or highest care rate
- Pension Age Disability Payment
- Attendance Allowance
- Personal Independence Payment – daily living component
- Disability Living Allowance – middle or highest care rate
- Constant Attendance Allowance at or above normal maximum rate with Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
- Constant Attendance Allowance at or above the basic (full day) rate with a War Disablement Pension
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
If you get Carer Support Payment, it will not affect the qualifying benefit the person you care for gets. But it could affect other benefits that you and the person you care for get. If you live with a partner, it could also affect their benefits.
Full details on Carer Support including eligibility and how to claim can be found on mygov.scot here.