Earlier this week Scottish Government announced that they will introduce a pilot for Carer Support Payment by the end of this year, and this new payment will be available nationally from Spring 2024.
Carer Support Payment will replace Carer’s Allowance for new applications and will provide support to individuals providing regular and substantial care to someone in receipt of a disability benefit. To be eligible the individual must be 16 or over, spend at least 35 hours a week caring, and earning less than less than £139 a week (from April 2023).
At present, carers in receipt of Carer’s Allowance also receive top-up support through the Carer’s Allowance Supplement and this top up will be maintained when Carer Support Payment is launched.
New support will also be delivered as part of Carer Support Payment for those caring for more than one disabled person (currently known as Carer’s Additional Person Payment).
Further details about the rollout of the new Carer Support Payment will be announced in due course.
You can read the Minister’s speech in full here and you can download the Social Security Programme Business Case here.
