Carer Support Payment - rules before 15 March 2026

Carer Support Payment eligibility rules as they applied before 15 March 2026 should be used to determine any entitlement to support for periods before 15 March 2026 – for example where a Carer Support Payment application from before 15 March 2026 is being considered after this date, or a Carer Support Payment application after 15 March 2026 is backdated to a point before this date. 

Carer Support Payment eligibility rules are largely the same as the rules which apply to Carer Support and the Carer Support Payment component. The key differences are: 

• There can be no entitlement to Scottish Carer Supplement or Carer Additional Person Payment before 15 March 2026
• Rules about when carers can continue to be paid during a temporary break in care were different prior to 15 March 2026. In particular, carers needed to have been providing regular and substantial care for 35 hours or more a week for 14 or 22 weeks before they could continue to be paid during a temporary break in care
• The ‘run on’ of support after the death of a cared for person was a maximum of 8 weeks