Scotland has its own devolved benefit for unpaid carers: Carer Support Payment (CSP). It is separate from the DWP Carer’s Allowance used in England and Wales and from the Department for Communities process in Northern Ireland. This guide explains the Scottish eligibility checks, the payment package, how to apply and what to check before claiming. Social Security Scotland decides each application; this page is not an eligibility decision.
For the England and Wales scheme, see the Carer’s Allowance guide. For the separate Universal Credit caring test and monthly carer element, see the Universal Credit carer element guide. A benefit claim is also separate from employment rights such as unpaid Carer’s Leave in Great Britain.
Three payments can be awarded together
Check both your earnings and other benefits
Claiming can create a backdated UC overpayment
Who can apply in Scotland
The main starting conditions are that you are at least 16, usually live in Scotland (or meet a specified cross-border residence rule), and provide 35 hours or more of unpaid care each week. The person you care for must receive a qualifying disability benefit at the required rate. Check mygov.scot’s current qualifying-benefit list; a diagnosis or care need by itself does not satisfy this part of the test.
The care can be provided for a relative or friend, and you do not need to live with them. It must be unpaid care rather than work as a professional care worker or volunteering through an organisation. The rules also cover some people posted abroad in the Armed Forces or Civil Service and certain people living elsewhere in Europe with a genuine and sufficient link to Scotland. These residence cases are specific, so confirm the route with Social Security Scotland.
There are extra study conditions for some applicants aged 16 to 19. Adults aged 20 or over can study and still qualify, but the earnings and caring conditions continue to apply. Check the official study rules if you are 16 to 19 or your course situation is unusual.
The 2026/27 Scottish payment package
If eligible, Social Security Scotland awards the Scottish payments together. The current published weekly amounts are:
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| Payment | 2026/27 amount | How it is awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Carer Support Payment | Up to £86.45 | Main payment; an overlapping benefit can reduce it. |
| Scottish Carer Supplement | £11.70 | Automatically added when you receive CSP; no separate claim. |
| Carer Additional Person Payment | £10.40 per additional person | Requires CSP and at least 20 unpaid care hours a week for each additional person, who must also receive a qualifying benefit. |
The award is paid every four weeks at the end of the four-week period; weekly payment may be available in some circumstances. A single payment can include CSP, Scottish Carer Supplement and any additional-person amount. The Scottish Carer Supplement replaced Carer’s Allowance Supplement.
If a State Pension or another specified overlapping benefit is equal to or higher than £86.45 a week, CSP may be awarded at £0 as an underlying entitlement. In that case you do not receive Scottish Carer Supplement or Carer Additional Person Payment through that award. An underlying entitlement can still matter to other benefit calculations, so do not treat a £0 CSP award as a cash payment or assume it has no wider effect.
Earnings if you work
For 2026/27, your CSP take-home pay must not be more than £204 a week (about £884 a month or £10,608 a year). Social Security Scotland normally assesses income after Income Tax and National Insurance, and may deduct relevant expenses and 50% of pension contributions. Tips and bonuses can count as earnings; some payments such as other benefits, pensions, tax refunds, student support and fostering payments do not count in the same way.
If pay varies, Social Security Scotland can consider an average that reflects your circumstances. Self-employment and expenses can require extra evidence or review. Keep payslips, accounts and receipts, and ask Social Security Scotland which costs qualify rather than subtracting every household or work expense. Tell them when your job, pay, additional earnings or relevant expenses change.
How CSP affects other benefits
CSP is counted as income for Universal Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, and Pension Credit. DWP reduces those benefits by the CSP amount. There can be a delay before the other award is updated, which may create an overpayment.
The first CSP payment is backdated to the requested start date. If you receive Universal Credit, DWP may recover UC paid for that backdated period and for later weeks before its records are updated. Recovery is usually through a reduction to future UC rather than a separate bill. For Income Support, income-based JSA, income-related ESA or Pension Credit, the application lets you ask to reduce the first CSP payment to avoid an overpayment from the backdated amount. The official guidance does not offer that same first-payment choice for UC.
State Pension, Maternity Allowance and several other listed benefits can reduce CSP itself. Private or workplace pension payments do not reduce CSP under the published rules. Universal Credit does not reduce CSP; instead DWP adjusts UC for CSP income. If you also report caring for the UC carer element, that is a separate 35-hour test and household calculation. Read the UC carer element guide and check the complete award with DWP or a benefits adviser before relying on a headline rate.
Before applying, speak with the person you care for and your partner if you live together. Their Severe Disability Premium or certain extra amounts in Income Support, income-based JSA, income-related ESA or Pension Credit may stop if you receive CSP. The person you care for should tell their local council if they receive Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction. Scottish Carer Supplement and Carer Additional Person Payment do not count as income for other benefits under the current mygov.scot guidance.
HMRC counts CSP and Scottish Carer Supplement as taxable income. If your total taxable income may exceed your Personal Allowance, check the tax position with HMRC. This guide does not calculate tax or a household’s overall benefit entitlement.
How to apply and what to prepare
You can apply for CSP and Carer Additional Person Payment online, by phone, by post or in person with help from a Social Security Scotland client support adviser. The Scottish Carer Supplement is automatic if CSP is awarded. Online applicants can save and return to the application. Phone applications are available on 0800 182 2222, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm; interpreters for more than 100 languages and British Sign Language video interpreting are available.
Before starting, gather your own bank or building-society details and the cared-for person’s name, address and date of birth. A National Insurance number is optional but can speed up processing; a Child Reference Number can help where the person cared for is under 16. You may later be asked for documents about earnings, residence, immigration status, time spent abroad, or a Scottish connection.
If you have moved to Scotland from England, Wales or Northern Ireland, make a new Social Security Scotland application. Your current award letter can support it; the previous award does not transfer automatically. If you already receive CSP, you can report another cared-for person later if the additional-person conditions are met.
The application is reviewed and Social Security Scotland may request evidence. You should wait at least six weeks before contacting them for an update, unless they have asked you for information. The decision letter explains which payments were awarded and why. Report changes that have already happened as soon as possible, including changes to your address, earnings, care hours, immigration status, other benefits, or the cared-for person’s qualifying benefit. You can add another cared-for person after you start caring for them and meet the 20-hour rule.
If you disagree with a decision
For CSP, you normally have 42 calendar days (six weeks) from being told the decision to request a redetermination. A late request may sometimes be accepted if you give a good reason and apply within one year; do not rely on an exception. If you disagree with the redetermination, you can appeal to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland, normally within 31 calendar days of the relevant letter. The Tribunal decides whether it can accept a late appeal.
For most Social Security Scotland benefits, the challenge route is redetermination first, then appeal. If Social Security Scotland misses its deadline for making the redetermination, official guidance says you may appeal without waiting for the late decision. Follow the instructions and dates in your decision letter, and contact Social Security Scotland or Citizens Advice Scotland if you need help making the request.
Frequently asked questions
Does this guide apply in England, Wales or Northern Ireland?
How many hours of care do I need to provide?
Does the person I care for have to be a relative or live with me?
What disability benefit must the person I care for receive?
What is the earnings limit in 2026/27?
Can I receive Carer Support Payment and State Pension?
Will Carer Support Payment reduce my Universal Credit?
Can I get the Universal Credit carer element as well?
Will my claim affect the person I care for?
Do I need to claim Scottish Carer Supplement separately?
Can I receive an extra payment for caring for another person?
How do I apply and what information should I have ready?
When should I apply, and can the first payment be backdated?
How long should I wait before asking about my application?
What if I disagree with the award or refusal?
Which changes must I report?
No calculator can decide this award because eligibility depends on official evidence, residence exceptions, the cared-for person’s qualifying benefit and interactions across a household’s benefits. For a claim or change, use Social Security Scotland’s current service and speak with a benefits adviser if the first-payment timing could affect Universal Credit or another means-tested award.
Official sources
- mygov.scot: Carer Support Payment overview and rates
- mygov.scot: who can apply
- mygov.scot: how to apply
- mygov.scot: earnings and expenses if you work
- mygov.scot: effect on Universal Credit and other income-related benefits
- mygov.scot: overlapping benefits
- mygov.scot: who may be affected before you apply
- mygov.scot: after you apply
- mygov.scot: report a change
- mygov.scot: how to challenge a decision
- mygov.scot: request a redetermination or appeal
Sources checked on 29 October 2026. Check these pages again before applying, especially for current rates, qualifying-benefit lists, evidence requirements, decision dates and appeal deadlines.