Regular and substantial care

In order to receive Carer Support Payment or Carer Additional Person Payment, a carer must be providing ‘regular and substantial care’ to a person who is getting a qualifying disability benefit. We’ve used the phrase ‘cared for person’ to describe both cared for person for Carer Support Payment component and additional cared for person for the Carer Additional Person Payment component this person in this guidance.

A carer must be providing care to a cared for person: 

• For Carer Support Payment – at least 35 hours of care per week (The Carer’s Assistance (Carer Support Payment (Scotland) Regulations 2023, Regulation 5)
• For Carer Additional Person Payment – at least 20 hours of care per week for any additional cared for person. (The Carer’s Assistance (Miscellaneous and Consequential Amendments, Revocation, Transitional and Saving Provisions) (Scotland) Regulations 2025, Regulation 14B(3)) This must be a different person to the person they are receiving Carer Support Payment for.

There is no set definition of care, however it is expected that the carer would spend the majority of the required caring hours with the person they are caring for, to ensure the cared for person is getting the care they need.

Care for all cared for persons within a Carer Support award can be carried out at the same time (The Carer’s Assistance (Miscellaneous and Consequential Amendments, Revocation, Transitional and Saving Provisions) (Scotland) Regulations 2025, Regulation 14B(5)), for example – a mother caring for her 2 children and getting Carer Support Payment for one and Carer Additional Person Payment for the other would be caring for both of them at the same time.

Examples of the kind of care that may be provided can include:

• helping the cared for person get dressed or get around
• helping with the cared for person’s benefits
• attending medical or other health appointments with the cared for person
• cooking and cleaning for the cared for person
• helping the cared for person with their emotional and mental health

It can also include activities done without the cared for person such as:

• shopping for the cared for person
• preparing or tidying up the home for the cared for person while they are not there

Carers will need to tell us the hours of care they provide on either:

• their application for Carer Support, or
• where they are already receiving Carer Support Payment, by reporting a change of circumstances to receive Carer Additional Person Payment.

Carers will require to sign a declaration to confirm they are providing at least 35 hours of care per week for Carer Support Payment or at least 20 hours of care per week for Carer Additional Person Payment. The people being cared also need to be receiving a qualifying disability benefit (The Carer’s Assistance (Carer Support Payment) (Scotland) Regulations 2023, Regulation 2).