New £327 monthly payment for people providing unpaid care due to launch nationwide next month
People across Scotland will be unable to make a new claim to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for Carer’s Allowance from November 4. Instead, a new devolved benefit administered and delivered by Social Security Scotland called Carer Support Payment will be available to claim nationwide.
The new benefit has already launched in more than a dozen council areas across Scotland (full list below) with the remaining local authorities set to open for applications shortly. It is worth £81.90 per week - some £327.60 every four-week pay period - for people providing 35 hours of care to a family member, friend or neighbour.
Carer Support Payment will gradually replace Carer's Allowance for nearly 89,000 people already claiming the benefit, however, it’s important for existing claimants to be aware they will not be affected by the rollout and will have their current award transferred over to Social Security Scotland in stages before the end of next year - the migration process began in February.
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People transferring from Carer's Allowance to Carer Support Payment can also choose to be paid weekly instead of every four weeks.
Eligible carers who live in areas where Carer Support Payment is not yet available are being urged to still apply for Carer's Allowance from DWP to make sure they don’t miss out on financial support.
Carer Support Payment is also available to more student carers. Some 16 to 19-year-old carers in full-time ‘non-advanced’ education, such as school, are also eligible to claim the benefit.
In addition, some carers - mostly full-time students - can now have their benefit payments backdated to when Carer Support Payment was first introduced in November 2023.
Carer Support Payment rollout timetable
Available to claim now:
Perth & Kinross
Dundee City
Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles)
North and South Lanarkshire
Angus
Fife
Aberdeen
Aberdeenshire
Moray
North, East and South Ayrshire
November 4 - Available across Scotland
You can also use the online postcode checker here to see if applications are open in your area.
Backdated payments
Special backdating rules for the Carer Support Payment roll out mean that carers who are not eligible for Carer’s Allowance but are eligible for Carer Support Payment can apply to have their payments backdated to the date Carer Support Payment first became available.
Social Security Scotland said this stops carers missing out on money they are entitled to because they live in an area included in the later phases of the rollout.
The main group to benefit will be carers aged 16-19 in full-time ‘advanced’ education (such as university), and carers aged over 20 in full-time education at any level.
To get fully backdated payments, carers must apply within 13 weeks of the benefit becoming available in their area. For carers in Angus, North and South Lanarkshire the 13-week deadline is September 22, 2024.
Carers may still be able to get fully backdated support after this if they have a good reason for missing the deadline.