Backdating - where a carer chooses a start date in the past

Carers applying for CSP can choose a start date in the past on their application – if they were eligible for the benefit for a period before applying. This is known as ‘backdating’ an application.  

The person they are caring for needs to already be receiving a qualifying disability benefit before the carer makes the application.  

Backdating entitlement up to 13 weeks from application date  

In general, carers will be able to ‘backdate’ a CSP award for up to 13 weeks on application without having to give a reason.

They can do this by choosing a start date in the past on their application. If they met all of the eligibility criteria on this date, their award can start on the first day of the award week that their chosen start date is in. Award weeks for Carer Support Payment run Sunday to Saturday, so if their chosen start date is a Monday, their award will start on the Sunday before.  

If the carer did not meet all of the eligibility criteria on their chosen start date, their award can start on the first day of the award week in which they first met all of the eligibility criteria, provided this is no more than 13 weeks after the date on which their application was treated as made (which is on the date the application was received) (Carer Support Payment Regulations, regulation 18(3)).

If the carer met all of the eligibility criteria on their chosen start date but there were periods between this start date and the date they submitted their application where they were not eligible, they may not receive payments for all of the weeks in this period. For example, if there are periods where the cared for person didn’t receive the qualifying disability benefit or where the carer had earnings over the earnings limit.  

The award notice will provide information on the amount carers have been paid for past periods and note that this may not include payment for all of the weeks for which they had applied if they were not eligible for some periods.

Carers will be able to challenge this if they disagree, through the standard re-determination and appeal processes. 

Backdating an award by more than 13 weeks - Where a carer is applying within 13 weeks of a qualifying disability benefit decision 

Carer Support Payment can be backdated to the start of the qualifying disability benefit award in these situations, where the carer was eligible for support on this date. If the carer was not eligible on the date that the cared for person’s disability benefit has been backdated to, the carer’s award should start from the first day of the first award week after this point in which they did meet all of the eligibility criteria, provided this is no more than 13 weeks after the date the carer applied. 

Where a qualifying disability benefit is awarded after re-determination or appeal

A carer may be applying for Carer Support Payment within 13 weeks of a re-determination or appeal which is awarding a qualifying disability benefit to the person they care for. In this situation, Carer Support Payment can be backdated to when the cared for person’s entitlement to the qualifying disability benefit started following the re-determination or appeal decision (where the carer meets all the eligibility criteria on this date).

The cared for person may receive ‘short-term assistance’ during a period where they are challenging a decision to remove or reduce a disability benefit they were receiving. If, after this challenge the cared for person is awarded the benefit again, it may be reinstated from the point that it stopped. However, the backdated payment of the cared for person’s qualifying disability benefit award will be reduced because of the short-term assistance they received during the re-determination or appeal. This doesn’t affect the carer’s entitlement to Carer Support Payment. Carer Support Payment can start from the date from which entitlement to the qualifying disability benefit started following the re-determination or appeal and isn’t affected by periods where backdated payments are reduced due to short-term assistance having been paid.

Short-term assistance is not currently available for people challenging Carer Support Payment decisions.

Backdating for ‘cross-border’ clients

From 06 November 2025, following the completion of ‘case transfer’ from Carer’s Allowance to Carer Support Payment, new processes are in place where an individual who is getting Carer’s Allowance in the rest of the UK moves to Scotland.

Carers who are treated as ‘cross-border’ following a move to Scotland can receive a 13 week ‘run on’ of their Carer’s Allowance and have their Carer Support Payment backdated to the date their Carer’s Allowance entitlement end. There are also different rules for individuals who may have been missed from case transfer. For ‘cross border’ individuals and missed case transfer cases see the Cross Border Moves Decision Making Guide. 

Backdating to before 19 November 2023

CSP can be backdated to the start of the qualifying disability benefit award in situations where an application is made within 13 weeks of a qualifying disability benefit decision, where the carer was eligible for support throughout (Carer Support Payment Regulations, regulation 20). If the carer was not eligible for the full period for which the cared for person’s disability benefit has been backdated, the carer’s award should start from the first day of the award week in which they first met all of the eligibility criteria.  

Where a carer applies for Carer Support Payment within 13 weeks of the qualifying disability benefit being awarded to the person they are caring for, and the qualifying disability benefit award has been backdated to a date before 19 November 2023, they may be able to backdate their Carer Support Payment to before this date. Some carers may not be able to backdate their Carer Support Payment before 19 November 2023 even in this situation (Carers unable to backdate before 19 November 2023).

This is to make sure carers get all of the support they are entitled to where they couldn’t apply for Carer’s Allowance because they were waiting for the qualifying benefit decision. Where a carer applies for Carer Support Payment within 13 weeks of the qualifying disability benefit decision and the qualifying disability benefit award is backdated to a date before 19 November, their award can be backdated to the start date of the qualifying benefit, if the carer met all of the eligibility criteria at this time. Any payments which are made for the period before 19 November 2023 are treated in law as payments of Carer’s Allowance (The Carer’s Assistance (Carer Support Payment) (Scotland) Regulations 2023).

Carers making applications within 13 weeks of the qualifying disability benefit being awarded to the person they care will be able to use the online application form to request backdating up to 13 weeks before the launch date of the benefit (20 August 2023). Carers who want to choose a start date for their award before 20 August 2023 would need to apply by telephone.

To award Carer Support Payment from a date before 20 August 2023 we would need to confirm that the carer is applying within 13 weeks of the relevant qualifying disability benefit decision and that they were eligible for support on their chosen start date – which may be a number of months in the past. We also need to check that there were no gaps in their eligibility during the backdated period (for example due to their earnings or breaks from caring) which would mean that we couldn’t pay them for some weeks.

Carers unable to backdate awards before 19 November 2023

Some carers will be unable to backdate their awards to a date before 19 November 2023 even if they apply within 13 weeks of a qualifying disability benefit decision where the qualifying benefit is backdated before 19 November 2023.

This applies to carers who are eligible for Carer Support Payment but would not have been eligible for Carer’s Allowance. This may happen because Carer Support Payment has different rules from Carer’s Allowance in relation to:

• full-time education
• residence requirements – the ‘past presence test

Content on mygov.scot and the online application form will set out that carers in these situations may be unable to backdate to a date before 19 November 2023. Carers may contact Social Security Scotland if they are unsure if this applies to them.

Full-time education: Carers won’t be able to backdate their award to a date before 19 November 2023 if they wouldn’t have been eligible under Carer’s Allowance rules on full-time education. Carer’s Allowance is not available to anyone studying full-time or for 21 or more hours a week. Carers applying for Carer Support Payment will not be able to backdate their award to a period before 19 November 2023 during which they were in full-time education, or studying for 21 or more hours per week.Carers aged 16 to 19 studying full-time non-advanced education will not normally be eligible for either Carer’s Allowance or Carer Support Payment. Read the full-time education rules guidance for more information.

Residence requirements – the ‘past presence test’: Carers won’t be able to backdate their award to a date before 19 November 2023 if they wouldn’t have been eligible under Carer’s Allowance rules on ‘past presence’. To be eligible for Carer’s Allowance, carers need to have been ‘present’ in England, Scotland or Wales for 2 out of the past 3 years. We should check with the carer if they been present in England, Scotland or Wales throughout the 3 years before their chosen start date, or for at least 2 of the past 3 years. If they are unsure we should ask them about periods they have spent in other countries – where they were and how long they were there. If the periods they spent outside of England, Scotland or Wales total more than a year of the three years before their chosen start date they would not be eligible to backdate their award to a date before 19 November.

If they were abroad in their capacity as a serving member of the armed forces, or living with someone who is, or in their capacity as a mariner, airman, or continental shelf worker, they count as having being present for this period.

Carers would not be eligible to backdate their award to a date before 19 November 2023 if they had not been ‘present’ in England, Scotland or Wales for 2 out of the past 3 years on their chosen start date.

Special rules for terminal illness and PPT

Carers who are awarded Carer Support Payment without having to meet the Carer Support Payment ‘past presence test’ on the basis that they, or the person they care for is terminally ill, would not be eligible to backdate their award to a date before 19 November. This is because this rule doesn’t apply in Carer’s Allowance. More information on terminal illness rules for Carer Support Payment are in the DMG chapter on Special rules for terminal illness.