Overview of Carer's Allowance Supplement

Carer's Allowance Supplement is an extra payment to help carers in Scotland who get Carer Support Payment or Carer's Allowance.

Clients who qualify for Carer's Allowance Supplement will get this extra payment as well as their Carer Support Payment or Carer's Allowance.

Carer's Allowance Supplement and Carer Support Payment are paid by Social Security Scotland.

The Department for Work and Pensions will continue to pay Carer's Allowance until it's replaced by Carer Support Payment, which is delivered by Social Security Scotland.

Find out more about Carer Support Payment on mygov.scot.

Getting Carer's Allowance Supplement

Clients do not need to do anything. We'll send clients a letter about the payment. This may arrive after they've got the payment.

Clients do not have to apply for Carer's Allowance Supplement. They'll get it automatically if they both:

  • live in Scotland
  • get Carer Support Payment or Carer's Allowance on a qualifying date.

Payments

  • clients who got Carer Support Payment or Carer’s Allowance on 8 April 2024 will be paid £288.60 from 7 June 2024
  • clients who get Carer Support Payment or Carer’s Allowance on 7 October 2024 will be paid £288.60 from December 2024

Clients will get their Carer's Allowance Supplement paid into the same bank account as their Carer Support Payment or Carer's Allowance payments.

Exceptions

If a client receives a contributory benefit instead of Carer Support Payment or Carer's Allowance, they will not be entitled to Carer's Allowance Supplement.

How Carer's Allowance Supplement is calculated

We make 2 Carer's Allowance Supplement payments a year.

Everyone eligible for Carer's Allowance Supplement gets the same amount. It does not depend on income or circumstances.

The rate of Carer’s Allowance Supplement was originally set so that Carer’s Allowance and the Supplement combined would be equal to Jobseeker’s Allowance.

Carer’s Allowance Supplement has since increased to reflect rising living costs, so the 2 payments combined are now worth more than Jobseeker’s Allowance.

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