£20 million paid to carers in latest Carer’s Allowance Supplement

More than 84,000 people received Carer’s Allowance Supplement in the latest round of payments, according to the latest figures.

A total of £20.9 million was paid to those who were receiving Carer’s Allowance on 10 October last year. Those eligible received £245.70, with most payments made in December.

Since launching in 2018, a total of 833,425 Carer’s Allowance Supplement payments have been paid to 141,565 carers, totalling £231.8 million.

Carer’s Allowance Supplement is an extra payment, made automatically twice a year to people receiving Carer’s Allowance from the Department for Work and Pensions on certain qualifying dates. The payment recognises the important contribution of unpaid carers across Scotland.

The latest statistics show around two thirds of payments were made to female carers. More than 4\5% of payments were made to people aged 50 and over, and just over 10 per cent were made to those under 30. Glasgow City had the greatest number of eligible carers with 13,305 followed by North Lanarkshire with 7,100 and Fife with 6,500.

The eligibility dates for this year’s Carer’s Allowance Supplement are 10 April and 9 October. Exact payment dates will be provided nearer the time.