National roll out of Carer Support Payment - Special backdating rules which apply to carers living outside of the initial pilot areas
Carer Support Payment was rolled out across Scotland in phases. In the initial phase it opened for applications in Dundee City, Perth and Kinross, and the Western Isles on 20 November 2023. It was made available for new applications in further local authority areas as follows:
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Pilot from 20 November 2023 (regulations in force from 19 November) |
Dundee City, Perth and Kinross, Western Isles |
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From 24 June 2024 |
Angus, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire |
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From 19 August 2024 |
Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, East Ayrshire, Fife, Moray, North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire |
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From 04 November 2024 |
All remaining Scottish local authorities: Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, City of Edinburgh, Falkirk, Glasgow City, Highlands, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Orkney Islands, Renfrewshire, Scottish Borders, Shetland Islands, Stirling, West Dunbartonshire or West Lothian |
The general rules on backdating apply to all carers making applications for Carer Support Payment. In addition to this, some groups of carers were able to apply for extended backdating, where they were living outside of the initial pilot areas.
These rules were designed to ensure that carers were not disadvantaged by living in an area where Carer Support Payment became available later. This is because Carer Support Payment eligibility criteria are different from Carer’s Allowance, and that meant some carers were not eligible for support until Carer Support Payment became available in their area.
The carers who were eligible for extended backdating were those who:
- were in full-time education so unable to get Carer’s Allowance, but would have been eligible under the full-time education rules for Carer Support Payment
- did not meet rules around ‘past presence’ which apply in Carer’s Allowance, but would have been eligible under the ‘past presence’ rules which apply in Carer Support Payment (including exemptions from meeting the test where the person they care for has been exempted from meeting the test, and where they, or the person they care for is terminally ill)
Carers in the situations outlined above were able to backdate their application as far as 19 November 2023 (when Carer Support Payment started), if they apply within 13 weeks of the benefit being available in their local authority area, or later if they have a good reason for doing so (Carer Support Payment amendment regulations, regulation 2(4)). Carers in these groups would not be able to backdate their award to a date before 19 November 2023 in any circumstances. The table below shows the 13 week deadline for applications for each of the phases of the roll out:
| Phase/Local authorities | 13 week deadline to backdate to 19 November 2023 |
|---|---|
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Phase 2: Angus, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire |
22 September 2024 |
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Phase 3: Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, East Ayrshire, Fife, Moray, North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire |
17 November 2024 |
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Phase 4: All remaining Scottish local authorities: Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, City of Edinburgh, Falkirk, Glasgow City, Highlands, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Orkney Islands, Renfrewshire, Scottish Borders, Shetland Islands, Stirling, West Dunbartonshire or West Lothian |
2 February 2025 |
Carers needed to fulfil all other Carer Support Payment eligibility criteria for their chosen start date. Where they did not meet all other eligibility criteria on their chosen start date, Carer Support Payment could be awarded from the first point after this that they meet all other eligibility criteria.
Special backdating rules for carers eligible under new rules on education which began on 23 June 2024
As part of the national roll out of Carer Support Payment, a change to the education rules was introduced from 23 June 2024. The change extended eligibility to a further small group of full-time students – those aged 16 to 19 in full-time non-advanced education with certain ‘exceptional circumstances’. These carers were eligible from 23 June 2024 and were able to apply once Carer Support Payment opened for applications in their area.
Special backdating rules also applied for this group so that carers living in later phases of the roll out do not lose out on support. Carers were able to backdate their award as far as 23 June 2024 where they applied within 13 weeks of the benefit being available in their local authority area, or later if they had a good reason for doing so (Carer Support Payment amendment regulations, regulation 2(4)). Carers in these groups would not be able to backdate their award to a date before 23 June 2024 in any circumstances. The table below shows the 13 week deadline for applications for each of the phases of the roll out:
| Local authorities | 13 week deadline to backdate to 23 June 2024 |
|---|---|
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Phase 1 and Phase 2: Perthshire and Kinross, City of Dundee, Western Isles Angus, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire This includes carers in phase 1 of the pilot as 24 June was the first point at which carers in this new group could apply anywhere in Scotland, due to the change in the rules being introduced in June. |
22 September 2024 |
| Phase 3: Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, East Ayrshire, Fife, Moray, North Ayrshire and South Ayrshire | 22 September 2024 |
| Phase 4: All remaining Scottish local authorities: Argyll and Bute, Clackmannanshire, Dumfries and Galloway, East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, East Renfrewshire, City of Edinburgh, Falkirk, Glasgow City, Highlands, Inverclyde, Midlothian, Orkney Islands, Renfrewshire, Scottish Borders, Shetland Islands, Stirling, West Dunbartonshire or West Lothian | 2 February 2025 |
As set out above, carers were able to apply after 13 weeks and still be eligible for extended backdating where they had a ‘good reason’ for not applying by the deadline.
Backdating of Carer Support Payment after an initial application
Scottish Ministers have a duty to ensure people can access all of the support they are entitled to.
If carers are not aware of the rules around backdating when they first apply for support, they may miss out on backdated support they are entitled to by choosing a later start date than when they first became eligible.
Where a carer becomes aware they could have chosen an earlier start date
If, following an award of Carer Support Payment, a carer becomes aware that they would have been entitled to more backdated support had they chosen an earlier start date we can make a determination without application to award them more backdated support. that they missed out on (where they are eligible). The carer needs to contact us within 13 weeks of the original decision (or later where they have a good reason for doing so). We can then make the determination without application to award them any backdated support that they missed out on (where they are eligible). This may happen in circumstances where a client has been given advice by a support or rights organisation that they have missed out on support.
Example: Fraser applies for Carer Support Payment on 26 November 2025 and chooses a start date of that day.
He is awarded Carer Support Payment from the first day of that award week, 23 November 2025. A few weeks later, Fraser speaks to a local carers’ centre. They explain that he could have backdated his Carer Support Payment up to 13 weeks before that date as he had been providing care since July 2025.
Fraser contacts Social Security Scotland about this on 15 December 2025 — which is within 13 weeks of his original award decision. Because Fraser has contacted us within this time, Social Security Scotland can make a determination without application. If Fraser meets the criteria, he can be awarded the extra backdated Carer Support Payment he missed out on – up to 13 weeks before the date he applied.#
If a client contacts us to request more backdated support and we find that no determination without application is required because the carer is only entitled to the amount of Carer Support Payment they have already been awarded, we would need to inform them of this.
If the carer disagreed with this, they could then request a re-determination of our original decision to award Carer Support Payment only from the original date. If this was after the 56 days they would normally have to submit the re-determination request we could consider whether it is a 'good reason' for a late request if they were unaware when Carer Support Payment was originally awarded that they should have been entitled to further backdating.
Where it is identified a carer would have been entitled to more backdated support than they were awarded
If, following an award of Carer Support Payment, it is identified that a carer would have been entitled to more backdated support than they were awarded, for example, because they had applied within 13 weeks of a decision to award a qualifying disability benefit to the person they are caring for, and this qualifying disability benefit had been backdated for more than 13 weeks, we can make a determination without application to award them more backdated support. This may also happen where, at the time the carer applied, information was not available to confirm they were eligible for more backdating for example where inaccurate information on the qualifying disability benefit decision was provided by DWP.
This is possible as regulations allow us to make a determination without application where we have ‘become aware that a determination of an individual’s entitlement was made in ignorance of a material fact’ (in this case the date of the qualifying disability benefit award). (Carer Support Payment Regulations, regulation 36(b)).
Safeguarding clients from ‘high value’ payments
Carers may be entitled to receive large amounts of money in one payment where they are receiving support which is backdated over a number of months. Client advisers should consider whether this may be an issue where clients are due to receive large sums. This is because some vulnerable clients can find it hard to manage a large amount of money.
For Social Security Scotland, there is not an exact amount that makes a payment ‘high value’. Each client's circumstances and vulnerability will decide if the ‘Helping vulnerable clients manage high value payments’ guidance should be followed.
Client advisers can also refer to the ‘Vulnerability Guides’ for more information about potential client vulnerabilities and what you can do to help them.
Where a carer is only entitled to support after their application date
Carers are not able apply for Carer Support Payment in advance – in that it is not possible to choose a future start date on a Carer Support Payment application.
However, when an application is being considered, if the carer doesn’t meet the eligibility criteria on their chosen start date, or their application date, but they would meet the eligibility criteria on a later date, their entitlement to Carer Support Payment can start on this future date, as long as this is no more than 13 weeks after the date of their application.
This may be the case, for example, where a carer is working and has earnings over the limit on their application date, but lower earnings under the limit from a later date or where a carer does not meet the ‘past presence’ test on their application date, but does from a later date.
Carers may not be eligible on the date of their application for Carer Support Payment if they have recently moved to Scotland from the rest of the UK and are still receiving Carer’s Allowance as part of a DWP run on. More information on handling applications from these ‘cross-border’ clients is included in the ‘Moving to Scotland’ Decision Making Guidance.