Information

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Do you live in Scotland?

Do you get Carer's Allowance?

This includes if you've been awarded Carer's Allowance but you do not get any payments. For example, because you already get another benefit like State Pension. This is sometimes called underlying entitlement. 

Find out more about Carer's Allowance if you're on State Pension

Where do you live?

How old are you?

Benefits the person you care for gets

To get Carer Support Payment, the person you care for must get one or more of these disability benefits:

  • Adult Disability Payment – daily living component at the standard or enhanced rate

  • Child Disability Payment – middle or highest rate care component
  • Pension Age Disability Payment
  • Attendance Allowance
  • 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
  • Personal Independence Payment – daily living component
  • Disability Living Allowance – middle or highest care rate

How to find out what benefits the person you care for gets

If you and the person you care for are not sure what benefits they get, you can check their benefit award letters. These are the letters someone gets when they're first awarded a benefit. If you cannot find the letter, you can contact Social Security Scotland or the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Does the person you care for get any of these benefits?

You can continue if you're not sure, but you'll need to know this when you apply.

What kind of care do you provide for this person?

Time spent providing care

To get Carer Support Payment, you must provide care for 35 hours or more a week.

What is care?

Examples of providing care

You might be caring for someone if you:

  • help them with their mental health
  • give them emotional support
  • help them during an illness
  • support them with a disability
  • support them if they have an addiction

Providing care for someone's mental health

If they need help with their mental health, or support with how they're feeling, you might:

  • comfort them during a panic attack
  • stay close by so they do not feel alone
  • help them through a crisis
  • check on them throughout the day
  • make sure they're safe
  • keep them company

Providing care for someone with a disability or illness

If they have a disability or illness, you might:

  • help them to get around
  • dress them
  • give them, or remind them to take, any medicines they need
  • help them to shower or use the toilet
  • cook their meals for them
  • do their food shopping
  • translate for them

How many hours of care do you provide a week?

Tell us if anyone else is an unpaid carer for the same person

An unpaid carer is someone who is not:

  • a paid care worker
  • providing care through a charity or volunteering scheme

Is anyone else an unpaid carer for this person?

If someone else gets benefits for caring for the same person

You've told us that someone else is an unpaid carer for the same person.

Does the other carer get any of these benefits for caring for the same person?

  • Carer Support Payment
  • Carer’s Allowance
  • Universal Credit carer element

You can continue if you're not sure, but you'll need to know this when you apply.

Do you get any money from employment, self-employment or through renting out property?

To get Carer Support Payment, you cannot earn more than £151 a week on average after expenses. This is about the same as £654 a month, or £7,852 a year. It’s okay if your take home pay is sometimes more than £151 a week. If you apply for Carer Support Payment, we’ll work out how much your average take home pay is.

Have you reached State Pension age?

Check your State Pension age

You might be able to get Carer Support Payment

You might be able to get Carer Support Payment if either:

  • you live in an EU country, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Gibraltar and have a genuine and sufficient link to Scotland
  • you or a family member are posted abroad as a member of the UK Armed Forces, or as a UK Civil Servant

A genuine and sufficient link is where you do not live in Scotland, but have a link to Scotland. For example, you have spent a significant part of your life in Scotland.

 

Read about who can apply for Carer Support Payment

If you study

Carer Support Payment is not available to people who are aged 16 and in school full time. But you may be able to get it if you’re below the minimum school leaving age and have exceptional circumstances. Continue reading to find out about exceptional circumstances.

You can get Carer Support Payment if you study full time: 

  • at university
  • on a college course, such as a Higher National Certificate or Higher National Diploma

You cannot normally get Carer Support Payment if you spend 21 hours or more a week studying one of the following courses at school or college. This includes home-schooling. By 'studying' we mean in class or doing coursework:

  • National Certificates (NC) levels 1 to 6
  • National Qualifications (NQ) levels 1 to 6
  • Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQ) level 1 or 2
  • Scottish Highers or Advanced Highers
  • a combination of Highers and Advanced Highers called a Baccalaureate
  • similar courses at school or college, for example A levels

Also, you cannot normally get Carer Support Payment if you do one of these training programmes:

  • No One Left Behind
  • another training programme supported by your local council, which are sometimes delivered by third sector organisations

But there are exceptional circumstances where you can get Carer Support Payment when you're doing those courses or training programmes. Since June 2024, you may be eligible in any of these circumstances:

  • you do not get support from your parents or guardians
  • you're responsible for a child or qualifying young person (including being a foster parent)
  • you get a disability benefit and have been assessed or treated as having 'limited capability for work'
  • you're a student and you live with a partner who is not
  • you and a partner you live with are both students, but only your partner meets any of these exceptional circumstances

If you're eligibile for Universal Credit or income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Social Security Scotland can take this as evidence that at least one of those exceptional circumstances applies to you. 

Change of circumstances

You may be eligible for Carer Support Payment if you:

  • stop studying at school or college for 21 hours or more a week
  • stop doing a programme like No One Left Behind
  • turn 20
  • stop your current course and start doing HNDs, HNCs or university degrees

Other benefits you can get

You may be able to get Young Carer Grant.

Find more support for young carers

If you’re aged 16 to 19, you may be able to get support through the Education Maintenance Allowance.

Young Scot Package Transitional Bundle

You can get an extra transition bundle before you turn 19, including:

  • information about your rights as an adult unpaid carer
  • a £100 voucher for carers aged 18
  • £50 to open a savings account for carers aged 16 to 18

Making choices about work and education

Your local carer centre or young carer’s service can support you to make choices about work and education.

Find out about your options when you leave school

The Young Person's Guarantee

If you’re aged 16 to 24, you can get training and advice from the Young Person's Guarantee. They can help you find:

  • jobs
  • apprenticeships
  • courses
  • volunteering roles

Emotional support

Childline is a free, confidential helpline for anyone under 19 in the UK to chat about anything worrying them. It’s available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by calling 0800 1111.

About your earnings

To get Carer Support Payment, your 'take home pay' cannot be more than £151 a week. This is about the same as £654 a month, or £7,852 a year.

If your take home pay is sometimes more than £151 a week

It’s okay if your take home pay is sometimes more than £151 a week. If you apply for Carer Support Payment, we'll work out how much your average take home pay is.  

To work out your take home pay, we add up:

  • your salary if you’re an employee
  • any income from self-employment
  • additional earnings you tell us about

We take off:

  • tax or National Insurance you pay
  • some expenses you tell us about
  • pension contributions you pay

Some income does not count towards your take home pay. For example:

  • other benefits
  • pensions
  • some income from property

Other support for carers

Whether or not you get Carer Support Payment, there's other help you may be able to get. This includes:

  • support from your local carer centre
  • an Adult Carer Support Plan or Young Carer Statement
  • other benefits and financial support
  • breaks from caring
  • support if you’re working or studying while caring
  • support when your caring role ends

Find out how to get more help if you're a carer

Working and studying as a carer

Find information and support about working or studying as a carer from Care Information Scotland.

Find out about your rights in work from Carers UK

Working or studying alongside caring can affect your entitlement to benefits.  For money advice:

State Pension and Carer Support Payment

If you get State Pension, you might be eligible for Carer Support Payment but you will not get any payment. This is because you cannot get State Pension and Carer Support Payment at the same time.

You can still apply for Carer Support Payment. If you’re eligible you’ll have ‘underlying entitlement’ to Carer Support Payment. This can help you to get either:

  • benefits you could not get before, or
  • an extra amount paid on top of your other benefits

Benefits you can get an extra amount with

Underlying entitlement might help you get an extra amount if you get any of these benefits:

If you’re eligible for Carer Support Payment, your work requirements for these benefits will be reduced:

Other support for carers

Whether or not you get Carer Support Payment, there's other help you may be able to get. This includes:

  • support from your local carer centre
  • an Adult Carer Support Plan or Young Carer Statement
  • other benefits and financial support
  • breaks from caring
  • support if you’re working or studying while caring
  • support when your caring role ends

Find out how to get more help if you're a carer

Based on your answers, you cannot get Carer Support Payment

If you live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, you cannot get Carer Support Payment. But you might be able to get Carer's Allowance.

Find out more about:

You do not need to apply for Carer Support Payment

If you're already getting Carer's Allowance and live in Scotland, the Department for Work and Pensions and Social Security Scotland will move your benefit for you.

When you move from Carer’s Allowance to Carer Support Payment, you’ll keep getting the same amount.

Before you move to Carer Support Payment, Social Security Scotland will write to tell you how your payments will work and when you’ll get them.

Carer's Allowance Supplement

If you get Carer’s Allowance Supplement, you’ll still get payments twice a year.

Find out more about moving from Carer's Allowance to Carer Support Payment

Other support for carers

Whether or not you get Carer Support Payment, there's other help you may be able to get. This includes:

  • support from your local carer centre
  • an Adult Carer Support Plan or Young Carer Statement
  • other benefits and financial support
  • breaks from caring
  • support if you’re working or studying while caring
  • support when your caring role ends

Find out how to get more help if you're a carer

Based on your answers, you cannot get Carer Support Payment

To get Carer Support Payment you must be 16 or over.

If you’re aged 11 to 15, there’s other support for you as a young carer

As a young carer, you have the right to get a plan that outlines your needs, and the support you may be able to get. This is called a Young Carer Statement.

If you’re a young carer aged 11 to 18, you can get the Young Carers Package from Young Scot. What they offer changes but it can include:

  • shopping vouchers
  • subscriptions
  • chances to win prizes

Emotional support

Childline is a free, confidential helpline for anyone under 19 in the UK to chat about anything worrying them. It’s available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by calling 0800 1111.

 

Based on your answers, you cannot get Carer Support Payment

To get Carer Support Payment, the person you care for must get certain benefits.

Find out more about who can get Carer Support Payment

Other support for carers

Whether or not you get Carer Support Payment, there's other help you may be able to get. This includes:

  • support from your local carer centre
  • an Adult Carer Support Plan or Young Carer Statement
  • other benefits and financial support
  • breaks from caring
  • support if you’re working or studying while caring
  • support when your caring role ends

Find out how to get more help if you're a carer

Get a carer support plan

You have the right to a personalised plan to identify your needs as a carer. This is known as:

 

Based on your answers, you cannot get Carer Support Payment

You cannot get Carer Support Payment if you’re a:

  • paid care worker
  • volunteer carer through a volunteering scheme or charity

Find out who can apply for Carer Support Payment

Based on your answers, you cannot get Carer Support Payment

To get Carer Support Payment, you must provide care for 35 hours or more a week.

Find out more about who can get Carer Support Payment 

If you're aged 16, 17 or 18

You may be able to get Young Carer Grant if:

  • you’re aged 16, 17 or 18
  • you care for 1, 2 or 3 people for an average of at least 16 hours a week

Find out more about Young Carer Grant

Other support for carers

Whether or not you get Carer Support Payment, there's other help you may be able to get. This includes:

  • support from your local carer centre
  • an Adult Carer Support Plan or Young Carer Statement
  • other benefits and financial support
  • breaks from caring
  • support if you’re working or studying while caring
  • support when your caring role ends

Find out how to get more help if you're a carer

Get a carer support plan

You have the right to a personalised plan to identify your needs as a carer. This is known as:

Based on your answers, you cannot get Carer Support Payment

You cannot get Carer Support Payment if someone else cares for the same person and already gets:

  • Carer Support Payment
  • Carer's Allowance
  • Universal Credit Carer Element

Find out more about who can get Carer Support Payment

Other support for carers

Whether or not you get Carer Support Payment, there's other help you may be able to get. This includes:

  • support from your local carer centre
  • an Adult Carer Support Plan or Young Carer Statement
  • other benefits and financial support
  • breaks from caring
  • support if you’re working or studying while caring
  • support when your caring role ends

Find out how to get more help if you're a carer

Get a carer support plan

You have the right to a personalised plan to identify your needs as a carer. This is known as:

You can apply for Carer Support Payment

Based on your answers, you may be able to get Carer Support Payment.

Learn how to apply

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