On Friday, June 7, tens of thousands of individuals in Scotland who are claiming Carer’s Allowance will receive a one-off payment of £288.60. The Scottish Government at Holyrood makes this automatic payment, known as the Carer’s Allowance Supplement, twice a year to acknowledge the significant contribution made by unpaid carers.
To be eligible for the automatic payment next week, individuals must have been receiving either Carer’s Allowance from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), or the newly introduced Carer Support Payment from Social Security Scotland, on April 8, 2024. Those who applied for either benefit before that deadline and are awaiting an award decision will receive the payment in arrears if their claim is successful.
Social Security Scotland administers the payment, which is delivered separately from Carer’s Allowance. The second Carer’s Allowance Supplement payment will be made in December to those claiming on October 7, 2024 – the exact payment date will be confirmed later this year.
According to the latest figures from the DWP, 84,896 people were receiving Carer’s Allowance in August last year, reports the Daily Record.
Carer Support Payment
Unpaid carers across Scotland will soon be able to apply for new devolved benefits. The Carer Support Payment will gradually replace Carer’s Allowance for everyone already claiming the DWP benefit.
New applications for Carer’s Allowance were superseded by the Scottish payment in November 2023 for residents of Dundee City, Perth and Kinross, and the Western Isles. The scheme is set to be introduced in an additional 10 council areas this summer, with the phased rollout commencing in North and South Lanarkshire and Angus on June 24.
From August, the scheme will expand to Fife, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray, and North, East and South Ayrshire, and will be accessible throughout the rest of Scotland in November. The Carer Support Payment is only available to new applicants – those currently receiving Carer’s Allowance from the DWP will not be impacted by the rollout and will have their existing award transferred over to Social Security Scotland in stages.
It’s crucial to note that the DWP will continue to disburse Carer’s Allowance until the transition to Carer Support Payment is finalised. Payments will remain the same at £81.90 per week.
There will be no interruption in payments during the transfer, and the amount received will remain unchanged. The weekly earnings threshold will also remain the same as the DWP, which is currently £151 for the 2024/25 financial year.
If you transition from Carer’s Allowance to Carer Support Payment, you can also opt to be paid weekly instead of every four weeks.
Eligible carers residing in areas where the Carer Support Payment is not yet available are being encouraged to still apply for Carer’s Allowance to ensure they do not miss out on support.
Carer Support Payment is now accessible to carers aged 16-19 engaged in full-time ‘advanced’ education and those over 20 in full-time education at any level. From June 24, the scheme will expand to include certain 16-19 year old carers in full-time ‘non-advanced’ education, such as school.
Key dates for Carer Support Payment
- Available to claim now – Perth & Kinross, Dundee City and Na h-Eileanan Siar (Western Isles)
- June 24 – North and South Lanarkshire, Angus
- August 19 – Fife, Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Moray, and North, East and South Ayrshire
- November 4 – Available across Scotland
Backdate Payments
Under new regulations, special backdating rules have been introduced, allowing eligible carers not currently receiving Carer’s Allowance but entitled to Carer Support Payment to claim payments retroactively to when the support first became available. This ensures that no carer loses out on funds due to their location’s phase in the rollout schedule.
Primarily, this change aids carers aged 16-19 in full-time “advanced” education (like university) and those aged over 20 in full-time education at any educational level.
To secure their fully backdated payments, carers must apply within 13 weeks from when the benefit is introduced in their region.
The transition of responsibilities from DWP to Social Security Scotland started in February, with completion anticipated by Spring 2025.
For comprehensive information about Carer Support Payment, visit the Scottish Government website here.
