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How Carer Support Payment works

Carer Support Payment is money to help you if you’re a carer. You can get paid £81.90 a week if you’re eligible.

Read more about who can apply for Carer Support Payment.

Where you live

You can apply for Carer Support Payment now if you live in:

  • Aberdeen City 

  • Aberdeenshire 

  • Angus 

  • Dundee City 

  • East Ayrshire 

  • Fife 

  • Moray 

  • North Ayrshire 

  • North Lanarkshire 

  • Perth and Kinross 

  • South Ayrshire 

  • South Lanarkshire 

  • Western Isles 

To find out if applications are open in your area, go to the Carer Support Payment postcode checker.

If you live anywhere else, you can apply for Carer Support Payment when applications open in your area. Or you can apply now for Carer's Allowance from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Find out more about Carer's Allowance at GOV.UK.

Carer Support Payment is replacing Carer’s Allowance in Scotland. You cannot get Carer Support Payment and Carer's Allowance at the same time.

Carer Support Payment will be available across Scotland from November 2024.

If you get Carer's Allowance and live in Scotland, you do not need to apply for Carer Support Payment. Your benefit will move to Carer Support Payment. This is happening between February 2024 and spring 2025. Learn more about moving from Carer’s Allowance to Carer Support Payment.

How you're paid

Carer Support Payment is normally paid every 4 weeks, at the end of the 4 weeks.

If you move from Carer's Allowance to Carer Support Payment, you can get paid weekly.

It can be paid into a UK bank account. This can be your own account or someone else’s. If you do not have a UK bank account, Social Security Scotland will contact you about payment options after you apply.

If you or the person you care for have a terminal illness 

A terminal illness is an illness or condition which cannot be cured and is likely to lead to someone's death. It's sometimes called a life-limiting illness.

You can get paid Carer Support Payment every week in advance if you or the person you care for have a terminal illness and already get another benefit through the special rules for people who have a terminal illness.

Special rules for benefits if someone has a terminal illness

There are Special Rules for Terminal Illness for:

  • Adult Disability Payment
  • Child Disability Payment

Find out more about Special Rules for Terminal Illness.

For these 5 benefits, the rules are called Special Rules for End of Life:

  • Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
  • Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
  • Attendance Allowance
  • Universal Credit
  • Employment and Support Allowance

Find out about Special Rules for End of Life at GOV.UK

If you or the person you care for get any of those 7 benefits under the special rules, you can ask to be paid weekly in advance. You'll still get the same amount overall. Ask to be paid weekly in advance.

What else you can get

Other benefits if you get Carer Support Payment

If you get Carer Support Payment, you may get these extra payments:

And you'll get National Insurance credits – learn more at GOV.UK

You do not need to apply for any of these.

Other benefits you can apply for

To find out what benefits you can get, use our benefit calculators.

If you're on a low income or out of work, you can also apply for:

If you've reached State Pension age, you can apply for Pension Credit at GOV.UK.

If you provide care for 20 hours a week or more, you can apply for Carer's Credit at GOV.UK.

Find more support for carers.

If you're aged 16 to 18

If you provide care for 16 hours a week on average, you may be able to get Young Carer Grant. You can apply for Young Carer Grant before Carer Support Payment. If you're already getting Carer Support Payment, you will not be able to get Young Carer Grant.

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