Carer Support Payment: the Scottish replacement for Carer's Allowance

In Scotland, Carer's Allowance has been replaced by Carer Support Payment, delivered by Social Security Scotland. It does the same job of supporting unpaid carers, pays the same basic rate, and adds extra money on top, while running the system in a way designed to be fairer and more supportive. This guide explains how Carer Support Payment works, how it differs from Carer's Allowance, and how to claim it.

What Carer Support Payment is

Carer Support Payment is the Scottish benefit for unpaid carers who provide substantial care to someone with a disability or health condition. It has replaced Carer's Allowance for people in Scotland, and existing Scottish Carer's Allowance claimants have been moved across automatically. It is delivered by Social Security Scotland, which has a stated commitment to treating people with dignity, fairness and respect.

The rate and the supplement

Carer Support Payment is paid at the same basic rate as Carer's Allowance, £86.45 a week in 2026/27. On top of this, carers in Scotland receive the Scottish Carer Supplement, an extra amount worth around £11.70 a week in 2026/27, paid automatically alongside Carer Support Payment. This supplement, which replaced earlier twice-yearly lump sum payments, means carers in Scotland receive more in total than the basic Carer's Allowance rate elsewhere in the UK.

The main rules

The core rules are similar to Carer's Allowance. You must provide at least 35 hours a week of care for someone who receives a qualifying disability benefit, and your earnings must be no more than £204 a week after deductions. The qualifying benefits include Adult Disability Payment, Pension Age Disability Payment, Attendance Allowance, the daily living component of PIP, and the middle or highest care rate of Child Disability Payment or DLA.

More generous in places

Carer Support Payment has some more generous rules than Carer's Allowance. Notably, many full-time students can claim Carer Support Payment, whereas full-time students are usually excluded from Carer's Allowance. There is also more flexibility around temporary breaks in caring. These differences reflect the Scottish Government's aim to make the benefit work better for carers in a range of situations.

Caring for more than one person

A newer feature is the Carer Additional Person Payment, for carers who look after more than one person with significant care needs. This pays an extra amount, around £10.40 a week for each additional person you care for, where you provide at least 20 hours of care a week to each. The caring hours can overlap, and there is no cap on the number of additional people, which recognises the reality of carers supporting several family members.

Extended bereavement support

If the person you care for dies, Carer Support Payment, and the Scottish Carer Supplement with it, continues for a period afterwards to give you some financial stability at a very difficult time. This run-on has been extended to 12 weeks for deaths from a certain date, longer than the equivalent elsewhere. It is one of several ways the Scottish system tries to support carers through hard times.

How to apply

You apply for Carer Support Payment to Social Security Scotland, online, by phone or by post. The application asks about your caring role, the person you care for and their benefit, and your earnings. As with Carer's Allowance, it is worth checking before you claim that it will not cause the person you care for to lose a severe disability addition, and that you are claiming in the way that leaves your household best off.

How it affects other benefits

Carer Support Payment can affect your other benefits in the same way as Carer's Allowance, as it counts as income for means-tested benefits such as Universal Credit, though a carer element or addition usually recognises your role. The Scottish Carer Supplement and the Carer Additional Person Payment, however, do not count as income for Universal Credit, Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction, so they do not reduce those.

Moving to or from Scotland

If you move to Scotland while getting Carer's Allowance, you will usually be transferred to Carer Support Payment, and if you move away from Scotland you will move onto Carer's Allowance. There are arrangements to keep your payments going during a move, but tell the relevant agency promptly so your benefit transfers without a gap. Getting advice before a move helps you understand how it affects your payments and any extra Scottish supplements.

The supplement and underlying entitlement

The Scottish Carer Supplement is paid automatically to people who are actually paid Carer Support Payment. Carers who have only an underlying entitlement, for example because their State Pension is the same as or more than the Carer Support Payment rate, do not receive the supplement, although the underlying entitlement can still help with Pension Credit. This is a point of detail worth checking if you are an older carer in Scotland.

If you disagree with a decision

If you are unhappy with a Carer Support Payment decision, you can ask Social Security Scotland to look at it again through a re-determination, and then appeal to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland if you are still unhappy. As with the other Scottish benefits, the system is designed to make challenging a decision straightforward, and independent advocacy is available to help you through the process.

How it affects the person you care for

As with Carer's Allowance, it is worth checking before you claim Carer Support Payment that it will not cause the person you care for to lose a severe disability addition in their own benefits. The interaction works in a similar way, and in some cases claiming could leave the household worse off overall. A benefits check that looks at both of you together is the way to be sure you are claiming in the best way for your household.

Claiming alongside Universal Credit

If you receive Universal Credit as well, Carer Support Payment counts as income and reduces it, though a carer element usually recognises your role. As elsewhere in the UK, some carers on Universal Credit are better off through the carer element without the complications, so it is worth getting advice on the best combination. The Scottish Carer Supplement, however, does not reduce your Universal Credit, so it is genuinely extra.

In short

Carer Support Payment is Scotland's replacement for Carer's Allowance, paying £86.45 a week plus a Scottish Carer Supplement of around £11.70, with more generous rules in places, extra payments for caring for more than one person, and extended bereavement support. If you live in Scotland, this is the benefit to claim.

Claim what you are entitled to

Because Carer Support Payment comes with the Scottish Carer Supplement and, where relevant, extra payments for caring for more than one person, carers in Scotland can be entitled to a useful package of support. As with carers elsewhere, the key is to claim, to keep your details up to date, and to get a benefits check so you receive everything you are due, both for yourself and for the person you care for.

Where to get help

Free help with Carer Support Payment is available from Citizens Advice Scotland, Carers Scotland and local carers' centres. For the equivalent benefit elsewhere in the UK, see our guide to Carer's Allowance, and our guide to the earnings limit covers the £204 rule that applies in Scotland too.