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Carer Support Payment

Backdating Carer Support Payment

Last updated
9 Jun 2025

When you apply for Carer Support Payment, you can ask Social Security Scotland to backdate your payment. Backdating means you may be awarded payments starting from a date in the past. 

You need to be eligible for Carer Support Payment on the date you're backdating to. 

You do not need to have been eligible for Carer Support Payment for your whole backdated period. For example, you may have temporarily stopped providing care during the backdated period. 

Backdating for up to 13 weeks

Normally, Social Security Scotland can backdate your Carer Support Payment for up to 13 weeks. This means you may be awarded payments starting from a date that’s up to 13 weeks before your application date. 

Backdating for more than 13 weeks

In some circumstances, Social Security Scotland may be able to backdate your Carer Support Payment for more than 13 weeks. To do this, the person you care for must have both: 

  • been awarded their qualifying disability benefit in the last 13 weeks 

  • had their qualifying disability benefit backdated to a start date more than 13 weeks ago 

You’ll need to apply for Carer Support Payment within 13 weeks of the person you care for being awarded their qualifying disability benefit.  

In this circumstance, you can get Carer Support Payment from either: 

  • the date the qualifying disability benefit was backdated to 

  • the first date after this that you meet all the other eligibility criteria 

If you do not apply within 13 weeks of the person you care for being awarded their disability benefit

Social Security Scotland may be able to backdate your Carer Support Payment for more than 13 weeks, even if you do not apply within 13 weeks of the person you care for being awarded their disability benefit. 

This depends on: 

  • your circumstances 

  • where you live 

  • when Carer Support Payment was introduced to your area 

Carer Support Payment was introduced in phases to different parts of Scotland. If you live in one of the areas where it was available later, you may be able to backdate your Carer Support Payment to when it was first available, on 19 November 2023. 

You’ll need to have met at least one of these criteria: 

  • you were a full-time student 

  • you’d spent more than 1 of the last 3 years outside England, Wales or Scotland 

  • you have a terminal illness, so the normal Carer Support Payment rules about where you need to live may not apply to you 

  • the person you care for has a terminal illness, so the normal rules about where they live may not apply to them for their qualifying disability benefit 

You needed to have applied by certain deadlines depending on where you live. These deadlines have now passed, but if you have a good reason for missing these deadlines you may still be able to get more backdated support. The deadlines were: 

  • If you live in Angus, North Lanarkshire, or South Lanarkshire the deadline was 22 September 2024 

  • If you live in Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, Fife or Moray the deadline was 17 November 2024. 

  • If you live in Dundee City, Perth and Kinross, or the Western Isles, these rules don’t apply as these were the first places Carer Support Payment was available. 

  • If you live anywhere else in Scotland the deadline was 02 February 2025 

If you think this applies to you, contact Social Security Scotland.  

If you were aged 16, 17, 18 or 19 during the backdated period and studying

You may be eligible to backdate Carer Support Payment if all of the following applied to you during the backdated period: 

  • you were aged 16, 17, 18 or 19 

  • you had exceptional circumstances 

  • you studied certain courses for 21 hours or more a week 

If this applies to you, you may be able to backdate your Carer Support Payment. But you could not be awarded Carer Support Payment for any date before June 2024. This is when this eligibility criteria came into effect.  

Learn more about who can apply for Carer Support Payment.

If you get other benefits

Carer Support Payment is counted as income for these 4 other benefits: 

  • Income Support 

  • income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance 

  • income-related Employment and Support Allowance 

  • Pension Credit 

If Social Security Scotland backdates your Carer Support Payment, this may mean DWP has overpaid you or your partner for those other benefits during that backdated period. 

You or your partner may need to pay DWP back for those overpayments. 

To avoid this, Social Security Scotland can work with DWP to make sure you’re paid the correct amounts for Carer Support Payment and the 4 other benefits. 

You’ll usually be better off overall if you get Carer Support Payment and your income-related benefits. And if you get Carer Support Payment, you’ll also get Carer's Allowance Supplement. 

Learn more about the effects on other benefits.

If you get Universal Credit

Carer Support Payment is counted as income for Universal Credit. You may get less money from DWP for Universal Credit if you’re awarded Carer Support Payment. 

If Social Security Scotland backdates your Carer Support Payment, this may mean DWP will have overpaid you for Universal Credit during that backdated period. 

If DWP overpays you or your partner for Universal Credit, DWP may reduce your future payments to recover these overpayments. 

You'll usually be better off overall if you get Carer Support Payment and your income-related benefits. And if you get Carer Support Payment, you’ll also get Carer's Allowance Supplement. 

Learn more about effects on other benefits. 

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