Scottish Carer Support Payment
Last updated: 05/03/2024
Carer’s Allowance is being replaced by Carer Support Payment and will become part of the Scottish social security system. Carer Support Payment is money to help you if you’re a carer.
You can get paid £76.75 a week if you’re eligible (from April 24 this will be £81.90).
It is currently only open in certain areas, you can check if your area is covered.
Related information
You can contact Social Security Scotland by post, webchat, or on their freephone number from any phone.
Freephone: 0800 182 2222 between 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday (except for bank holidays).
Talk to us
If you would like to find out more about Carer Support Payment or how it may impact your other benefits, our advisors would be happy to carry out an benefit calculation.
Call the Lone Parent Helpline on 0808 801 0323
Carer support payment is introduced for new claims in pilot areas (Dundee, Perth and Kinross and Comhairle nan Eilean Siar local authority areas) on 20 November 2023, with a gradual roll-out in the rest of Scotland during 2024.
Carer Support Payment is money you can get 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 be studying certain courses if you’re aged 16 to 19
- not earn more than £139 a week after tax, National Insurance and expenses
The person you provide care for must get certain disability benefits.
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
- Attendance Allowance
- Personal Independence Payment – daily living component
- Disability Living Allowance – middle or highest care rate
- Constant Attendant 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
These are sometimes called ‘qualifying benefits’.
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.
