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1. What is carer support payment

Carer support payment (CSP) replaces carer’s allowance in Scotland.

CSP is for people who spend at least 35 hours a week looking after a disabled person (an adult or child).1 The disabled person must be getting a qualifying disability benefit (see below). The amount of CSP you get is not means tested and your student loan, grant or other income does not affect it.

Additional payments for carers

Scottish carer supplement is extra money for carers who get CSP (see here).

You may get carer additional person payment if you get CSP and care for more than one person (see here).

A one-off young carer grant is available for young carers who cannot get CSP (see here).

See cpag.org.uk/scottish-benefits for more information on these payments.

Reference
References
  • 1

    Reg 5(2) CSP Regs

2. Who is eligible

You are eligible for carer support payment (CSP) if you are a part-time student (see below), a full-time student aged 20 or over, or a full-time student in advanced education aged 16–19, and you satisfy the basic rules (see here).1 You are not usually eligible if you are in full-time, non-advanced education aged 16–19, although exceptions apply (see below).

Reference
References
  • 1

    Reg 13(1) CSP Regs

Full-time non-advanced education

Only those aged 16–19 in full-time, non-advanced education are excluded from CSP.

’Non-advanced education’ is education below the level of Higher National Certificate and includes school-level courses such as Scottish national qualifications up to and including advanced higher level, Scottish Wider Access Programmes and National Certificates.1

You are in ‘full-time education’ if you are undertaking a course for which the average time spent studying is more than 21 hours a week. These 21 hours include not just classes, practical work, lectures and seminars, but also ‘supervised study’. Meal breaks and unsupervised study are ignored. For carer’s allowance (CA), you are regarded as studying under supervision if you are doing course work, whether at home or at college, alone or in the presence of a supervisor.2 This does not have to be followed for CSP, but it is likely to be persuasive.

16–19 year-olds in full-time, non-advanced education are not excluded from CSP if they are someone who would qualify for universal credit (UC) while receiving education (except if the reason they would qualify is that they are waiting to return to their course after taking time out because of illness or caring responsibilities – see here).

Reference
References
  • 1

    Reg 13(4) CSP Regs

  • 2

    Flemming v SSWP [2002] EWCA Civ 641; Wright-Turner v Department for Social Development [2002] NICA 2

Basic rules

As well as being a student who is eligible to claim, to qualify for CSP you must satisfy all of the following conditions.1

  • You are aged 16 or over.
  • You spend at least 35 hours a week caring for someone.
  • The person for whom you care gets a qualifying disability benefit: the middle or highest care component of child disability payment/disability living allowance/Scottish adult disability living allowance, the daily living component of adult disability payment/personal independence payment, attendance allowance, pension age disability payment, constant attendance allowance (in certain cases) or armed forces independence payment.
  • You do not already get CA, UC carer element because you care for someone else, or a young carer grant (but you can get CSP if you previously had a young carer grant).
  • You are not working and earning more than £204 a week.
  • You satisfy certain rules on residence and presence in the UK and are not a ‘person subject to immigration control’. See CPAG’s Welfare Benefits Handbook for details.

Reference
References
  • 1

    Regs 2, 4, 5, 6, 12 and 14 CSP Regs

4. Claiming carer support payment

Carer support payment (CSP) is administered by Social Security Scotland (SSS). You can claim online at mygov.scot/carer-support-payment/how-to-apply, by phone on 0800 182 2222 or on the approved form.

Your claim can be backdated for up to 13 weeks if you qualified during that earlier period. You normally need to request backdating within 13 weeks of the determination on your CSP claim.

It can be backdated further if you claim within 13 weeks of the person you care for being awarded a disability benefit. Your claim is treated as made on the date you first qualified for CSP. If your entitlement under this rule would begin before CSP was introduced (19 November 2023), you can be treated as claiming carer’s allowance (CA) for the earlier period and awarded CSP.1

Extra backdating of CSP was possible for certain full-time students or for those who met the past presence test (see CPAG’s Welfare Benefits Handbook for what this means) for CSP but wouldn’t have met it for CA. To take advantage of these rules, claims for CSP had to be made within 13 weeks of CSP being introduced in your area. These dates are now past, but extra backdating may still be possible if you have ‘good reason’ for applying late.2

You can apply up to 13 weeks in advance of entitlement.3

Benefit is usually paid directly into a bank account, four weeks in arrears. In some cases, payment may be made weekly in advance.

Only one person can qualify for CSP, CA and/or the carer element of universal credit for caring for the same disabled person. If you and another person claim for the same person and both meet the entitlement conditions, you can agree who should be entitled. You should inform SSS of your decision in writing (signed by you both). If you cannot agree, SSS decides who is entitled (consulting the DWP if applicable) taking into account:

  • the best interests of the person you care for; and
  • whether you and the other person who claimed are related to the person you care for, live with or near them, or get any benefits on behalf of or in respect of them; and
  • any other relevant information.

If you get a determination that you are not entitled to CSP under these rules, you can request a redetermination.

Reference
References
  • 1

    Regs 18 and 19 CSP Regs

  • 2

    Regs 18A and 18B CSP Regs

  • 3

    Reg 18(3) CSP Regs

5. Challenging a decision

If you think a decision (’determination’) about your carer support payment is wrong, you can ask Social Security Scotland (SSS) to look at it again. This process is known as a ‘redetermination’. The time limit for requesting a redetermination is 42 days from the date of the determination. SSS then has 56 days to notify you of the new determination. If you are still not happy when you get this notice, you can appeal to the independent First-tier Tribunal for Scotland. If it was not possible to ask SSS to redetermine the determination within the time limit, but you ask for a redetermination within one year of the determination, this can be considered as long as you have ‘good reason’ for lateness.1 You can also ask SSS to look at a determination again at any time if certain grounds are met – eg, if there has been a change in your circumstances.

Reference
References
  • 1

    s41(4)(b) SS(S)A 2018

6. Other benefits

The benefit cap does not apply if you get carer support payment (CSP).

The disabled person’s benefit

Your entitlement to CSP depends on the person for whom you care continuing to get their disability benefit. If their benefit stops, your benefit should also stop. To avoid being overpaid, make sure you tell Social Security Scotland if the disabled person’s qualifying disability benefit stops being paid.

Note: although CSP may mean more money for you, it may result in the person for whom you care losing some pension credit or housing benefit (HB). If they live alone, they may be getting a severe disability premium included in the assessment of these benefits. They cannot continue to get this premium if you get CSP for them. See CPAG’s Welfare Benefits Handbook for details and, if in doubt, get advice before claiming.

Overlapping benefits

Although CSP is not means tested, you cannot receive it at the same time as certain other overlapping benefits, including maternity allowance, widowed parent’s allowance, retirement pension, new-style jobseeker’s allowance or new-style employment and support allowance. If you are eligible for CSP and an overlapping benefit, CSP is reduced by the amount of the other benefit (and may be reduced to nil). If you cannot be paid CSP because of these rules, you still have an underlying entitlement to it. See CPAG’s Welfare Benefits Handbook for more information.

Getting a carer premium or element

If you are a student getting CSP and claiming universal credit (UC), you are eligible for a carer element in your UC, and you are not expected to look for work. If you are getting HB, a carer premium is included in the calculation, even if your CSP is not being paid because you are getting another benefit that overlaps with it.

Scottish carer supplement

If you get CSP, you are entitled to a top-up payment from SSS called ‘Scottish carer supplement’. This is £11.70 a week, paid together with CSP - ie, weekly in advance or four-weekly in arrears. You must actually be receiving CSP – an underlying entitlement is not enough. The Scottish carer supplement is disregarded for all means-tested benefits. There is no need to make a claim for Scottish carer supplement; it is paid automatically.

Carer additional person payment

A new carer additional person payment (CAPP) of £10.40 a week per additional person cared for was introduced on 15 March 2026.1 Each additional person for whom you care must get a qualifying disability benefit (see here). There is no limit on the number of cared-for people that someone can get an additional payment for, but you must care for each of them for at least 20 hours a week. These 20 hours may run at the same time as the 35 hours of care needed to get CSP – eg, a carer may be caring for more than one person in the same property, and therefore some of the caring for each person may take place at the same time.

You can get CAPP even if someone else gets CSP, carer’s allowance, the carer element of universal credit or a young carer grant for caring for the same disabled person. However, only one person can get CAPP for an individual.

You can only get CAPP if you already get CSP. You can’t get it if you only have an underlying entitlement to CSP, for example because you get a state pension or other overlapping benefit. Contact SSS if you want to add CAPP to your CSP award.

CAPP is disregarded for all means-tested benefits.

Reference
References
  • 1

    Reg 14B CSP Regs

Young carer grant

The young carer grant is a one-off grant of £405.10 (2026 rate), payable once a year. Eligible young carers are those aged 16–19 (regardless of their circumstances) who are not getting CSP. To qualify you must be providing care for at least 16 hours a week in total, although this can be a combination of care for up to three people. The cared-for people must be in receipt of one of the benefits that allows entitlement to CSP (see here). You must also have provided care in at least 10 of the last 13 weeks. Apply to SSS by phone, in writing or online – see mygov.scot/young-carer-grant/how-to-apply.

For more information, see cpag.org.uk/young-carer-grant.

Benefits overview

The following chart summarises the benefits you may be able to get depending on your circumstances. In each case, there are other tests you must pass to be entitled. The page number in the last column takes you to the relevant chapter, where you will find more details about the rules of entitlement. Part 3 explains which benefits are affected by any grant or loan you get. Terms such as ‘full time’, ‘part time’ and ‘student’ are explained in each benefit chapter.

Your circumstancesBenefit
Aged 16–20 (or 21 if turn 21 on course) in full-time further education
Living away from parentshousing benefit*
Orphaned, estranged or separated from parentsuniversal credit
Full-time student
Single parentuniversal credit
housing benefit*
child benefit
Scottish child payment
Best Start grant
Best Start foods
health benefits
Couple with child/renuniversal credit
housing benefit* (both students, or non-student claims)
child benefit
Scottish child payment
Best Start grant
Best Start foods
health benefits
Sick or disableduniversal credit
new-style employment and support allowance
housing benefit*
adult disability payment
health benefits
Recovered from ill-health and waiting to return to studiesuniversal credit
housing benefit*
new-style jobseeker’s allowance
Live with non-student partneruniversal credit
housing benefit* (if non-student claims)
Having a baby
Under 18Best Start grant
Best Start foods
Getting certain benefitsBest Start grant
Best Start foods
Working or recently workingmaternity allowance
statutory maternity pay
statutory shared parental pay
Partner having a babystatutory paternity pay
statutory shared parental pay
Adopting a childstatutory adoption pay
Carer
Full-time student in higher education or aged 20 or overcarer support payment
Scottish carer supplement
Full-time student in further education aged 16–19 and eligible for universal creditcarer support payment
Scottish carer supplement
Aged 16–19young carer grant
Part-time studentuniversal credit (and can meet work-related requirements)
housing benefit*
new-style jobseeker’s allowance
new-style employment and support allowance
carer support payment / Scottish carer supplement
Full-time student and waiting to return to course after taking time out for caringuniversal credit
new-style jobseeker’s allowance

* New claims for HB cannot normally be made – see here

1. What is adult disability payment

Adult disability payment (ADP) is a benefit for people with a disability. It replaces personal independence payment for people of working age in Scotland.

Children who have a disability can claim child disability payment in Scotland.

ADP is not means tested, so it is not reduced because of your student support or other income. It comprises two components: for daily living and mobility. Each component has two rates: a standard rate and an enhanced rate.

2. Who is eligible

You qualify for adult disability payment (ADP) if you meet all the following conditions.1

  • You are aged 16 or over and, usually, under pension age.
  • You satisfy certain rules on residence and presence in the UK and are not a ’person subject to immigration control’. See CPAG’s Welfare Benefits Handbook for details.
  • You satisfy the disability conditions for the daily living component and/or the mobility component.
  • You have satisfied the disability conditions for the last 13 weeks (unless you are terminally ill) and are likely to continue to do so for the next 39 weeks.
  • You are not entitled to child disability payment, personal independence payment, disability living allowance, pension age disability payment, Scottish adult disability living allowance, attendance allowance or armed forces independence payment.

Your ability to undertake various activities is assessed, taking into account whether you can carry out the activity safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and within a reasonable time. Depending on the type and level of help you need, you score points in different activities. If you score eight points, you get the standard rate of a component; if you score 12 points, you get the enhanced rate. For example, if you cannot dress or undress yourself, you score eight points.

See CPAG’s Welfare Benefits Handbook for more information about the activities and the points awarded.

Reference
References
  • 1

    s31 and Sch 5 SS(S)A 2018; regs 3 and 4 DAWAP(S) Regs

Daily living component

To get the standard rate of the daily living component, your ability to undertake certain specified day-to-day activities must be limited by your health or disability. To get the enhanced rate, your ability to undertake the activities must be severely limited.

You are assessed on your ability to carry out the following activities:

  • preparing food. If you cannot prepare and cook a simple meal yourself, you can score points;
  • taking nutrition;
  • managing therapy or monitoring your health condition;
  • washing and bathing;
  • managing toilet needs or incontinence;
  • dressing and undressing;
  • communicating verbally. If you need to use an aid to help you speak or hear, you can score two points; if you need a British Sign Language interpreter to help you understand or express information, you can score four to eight points, depending on the type of help you need;
  • reading and understanding signs, symbols and words. If you need help to read, or need to use an appliance or aid (other than glasses or contact lenses), you can score points;
  • engaging socially with other people in-person. You can score points even if you are able to engage with people you know (such as family and friends), or people you interact with for a specific purpose, such as a health professional or a lecturer;
  • making budgeting decisions. You can score points if your disability means you need help with budgeting.

Mobility component

You get the standard rate of the mobility component if your ability to undertake certain mobility activities is limited by your health or disability. If your ability to undertake the activities is severely limited, you get the enhanced rate.

You are assessed on your ability to plan and follow journeys and to move around. You can score points if you need help to follow an unfamiliar or familiar route, including if you can only do so with the help of a guide dog or orientation aid.

Students

If you are a student (part-time or full-time), you can get ADP if you meet the qualifying conditions. Starting to study should not affect your award, provided you still have daily living and/or mobility needs.