Children's Handbook Scotland | 2023/24Chapter 1: Benefits and tax credits 5. Carer’s allowance
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5. Carer’s allowance
Carer’s allowance (CA) is a benefit for people who spend at least 35 hours a week looking after a disabled adult or disabled child. You do not have to have paid any national insurance contributions to get CA.
The DWP is responsible for the administration of CA.
You get a carer’s allowance supplement if you get CA and you live in Scotland (see here).
Carer’s allowance will be devolved to the Scottish government and the replacement benefit, carer support payment, will be adminstered by Social Security Scotland (SSS). This will start in November 2023 in pilot areas, with a roll-out across Scotland during 2024. Claimants already getting carer’s allowance, who normally live in Scotland, will be automatically transferred onto carer support payment.1Scottish Government announcement Feb 2023, available at gov.scot/news/carer-support-payment-to-be-piloted-by-the-end-of-this-year Most of the rules for carer support payment will be the same as for carer’s allowance, although there will be wider eligibility for students than under the carer’s allowance rules.2Carer’s Assistance (Carer Support Payment) (Scotland) Regulations 2023 (draft)
 
1     Scottish Government announcement Feb 2023, available at gov.scot/news/carer-support-payment-to-be-piloted-by-the-end-of-this-year »
2     Carer’s Assistance (Carer Support Payment) (Scotland) Regulations 2023 (draft) »
Who can get carer’s allowance
You qualify for CA if you:1s70 SSCBA 1992; regs 3 and 9 SS(ICA) Regs
    •are aged at least 16; and
    •are caring for a person receiving either the highest or the middle rate care component of child disability payment (CDP) or disability living allowance (DLA), either rate of the daily living component of adult disability payment (ADP) or personal independence payment (PIP), either rate of attendance allowance (AA), armed forces independence payment or constant attendance allowance with an industrial injury benefit or war pension; and
    •are providing care that is regular and substantial (at least 35 hours a week); and
    •are not gainfully employed. This means your earnings must be no more than £139 a week; and
    •are not a full-time student; and
    •are not a ‘person subject to immigration control’ and you satisfy the residence conditions. See CPAG’s Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook for details.
 
1     s70 SSCBA 1992; regs 3 and 9 SS(ICA) Regs »
The disabled person’s benefit
Your entitlement to CA 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 the Carer’s Allowance Unit (see Appendix 1) if the disabled person’s AA, ADP, CDP, PIP or DLA stops being paid, or if you are no longer providing care for 35 hours or more a week.
If you are caring for a disabled adult, it is not always financially prudent to claim CA. Although it may mean more money for you, it could result in the person for whom you care losing some income support (IS), income-based jobseeker’s allowance (JSA), income-related employment and support allowance (ESA), pension credit (PC), housing benefit (HB) or council tax reduction (CTR). They may be getting a severe disability premium/addition included in these benefits. They cannot continue to get this premium if you get CA for them. See CPAG’s Welfare Benefits and Tax Credits Handbook for details.
Breaks from caring
You can have a short, temporary break from caring and still remain entitled to CA. You can have a break of up to four weeks in any period of 26 weeks, or a break of 12 weeks if either you or the person for whom you care is receiving treatment in hospital for at least eight of the 12 weeks, providing the person you care for is still getting their disability benefit.1Reg 4(2) SS(ICA) Regs
 
1     Reg 4(2) SS(ICA) Regs »
Overlapping benefits
Although CA is not means tested, you cannot receive it at the same time as contributory ESA, maternity allowance, severe disablement allowance, widow’s pension, widowed parent’s allowance, retirement pension or contribution-based JSA. If you are eligible for more than one of these benefits, you generally get whichever is worth the most.
Carer element, carer premium and carer addition
In universal credit, a carer element is included if you satisfy the rules for CA or would satisfy them except that your earnings are too high.1Regs 29 and 30 UC Regs If you are entitled to CA (even if you are not paid it because of the overlapping benefit rules), a carer premium or carer addition is included in your IS, income-based JSA, income-related ESA, PC, HB and CTR.
 
1     Regs 29 and 30 UC Regs »
Amount of benefit
Weekly rate
£76.75
Carer’s allowance supplement
The carer’s allowance supplement is an extra payment for people who get CA and live in Scotland. If you get CA on the ‘qualifying date’, you are entitled to a payment of £270.50, which is for a six-month period. The qualifying dates for 2023 are 10 April 2023 and 9 October 2023. You must actually be receiving CA (either full or part payment) on the qualifying date; an ‘underlying’ entitlement is not enough. The carer’s allowance supplement is disregarded for all means-tested benefits and tax credits. There is no need to make a claim for carer’s allowance supplement; it should be paid automatically.
Carer’s allowance supplement is administered by SSS.