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Publication - Publication

Carer Support Payment decision making guide

Published
11 Feb 2026
Topic
Carer Support Payment
Overview of Carer Support – Rules after 15 March 2026

Transfer from Carer Support Payment to Carer Support

A determination without application (DWA) of entitlement to Carer Support must be made for all carers with ongoing entitlement to Carer Support Payment on 14 March 2026 (The Carer’s Assistance (Miscellaneous and Consequential Amendments, Revocation, Transitional and Saving Provisions) (Scotland) Regulations 2025, Schedule 2) (but see exceptions below). This allows their benefit to be ‘transferred’ from Carer Support Payment to Carer Support so they can receive Scottish Carer Supplement and, if eligible, Carer Additional Person Payment. This will also apply to cases where a determination is made after 15 March 2026 but the carer has entitlement to Carer Support Payment for a period before 15 March 2026. For example where an appeal if overturned after this date but applies before the introduction of Carer Support.     

This determination must be made on the basis that the carer is entitled to the amount of Carer Support Payment that is equivalent to the amount they were entitled to on, or in respect of 14 March 2026 so will not affect their entitlement to Carer Support Payment. However, for eligible carers, the award will include Scottish Carer Supplement from 15 March onwards.

The determination without application of entitlement to Carer Support will be made on the basis of the carer’s entitlement to Carer Support Payment on 14 March 2026. This determination will be made on the basis of all of the information which is available to Scottish Ministers ( or any other relevant information) as at 14 March 2026. However in situations where:

  • the individual reported a change of circumstances which has not been taken into account in their entitlement to Carer Support Payment on 14 March 2026,
  • we had become aware of information in relation to an individual’s entitlement to Carer Support Payment which has not been taken into account for their entitlement on 14 March 2026. 
  • It appears that there is entitlement to Carer Additional Person Payment from 15 March 2026 

This transfer determination will not take the reported change/information into account, and Carer Support award will be based on the CSP award before the change was reported/information provided.

This will then be followed by a new determination without application which must be made ‘as soon as reasonably practicable’ after the transfer determination. A review determination must be made, taking into account the change of circumstances reported and/or the information which had not been taken into account as of 14 March 2026. Where the carer has requested a re-determination of the first determination without application, the new determination without application is not required and the re-determination or where applicable appeal should be carried out instead.

Where, as a result of the later determination, the individual’s entitlement to Carer Support is determined to be a lower rate than was awarded under the initial determination, or the same rate, the new entitlement begins:

  • on the first day of the award week following the week in which the individual should have notified Ministers of the change of circumstances, where required to do so, if they have knowingly failed to report the change, or failed to report this as soon as reasonably practicable after it occurred
  • in any other case, the first day of the award week after the week in which the new determination is made

If it is considered that in all the circumstances it would be unjust not to do so, a later date for the new entitlement to start can be set.

Example: Jen has been getting Carer Support Payment since 17/08/2025.

On 02/03/2026 she reports a change of circumstances because she has started a new job and her earnings have increased. This hasn’t been processed on 14/03/2026 and Jen has ongoing entitlement on this date so a determination without application is made on 15/03/2026 that Jen is entitled to Carer Support, including Carer Support Payment and Scottish Carer Supplement.

On 23/03/2026 the change of circumstances task is picked up and it is identified that Jen’s earnings are over the threshold (after deductions have been applied) from 15/03/2026. A determination is made that Jen is no longer entitled to Carer Support. As it is considered that Jen reported the change of circumstances ‘as soon as reasonably practicable’ the determination takes effect from 29/03/2026, the first day of the award week following the week in which we make the determination.

Where, as a result of the later determination, the individual’s entitlement to Carer Support is determined to be a higher rate than was awarded under the initial determination, the new entitlement begins:

  • On the first day of the award week in which the individual first met the requirements for the increased amount, where the individual reported a change within 13 weeks of it occurring,
  • On the first day of the award week in which the individual first met the requirements for Carer Additional Person Payment where they provide information to demonstrate they would have met the caring eligibility for an additional cared for person receiving a qualifying disability benefit within 13 weeks of the initial determination of entitlement to Carer Support
  • On the first day of the award week in which the individual first met the requirements for the increased amount, or for Carer Additional Person Payment, where the change is reported more than 13 weeks after it occurred, or information demonstrating entitlement provided more than 13 weeks after the initial determination of entitlement – where it is considered that the individual has a ‘good reason’ for not doing so sooner
  • In any other case, on the first day of the award week in which the individual reports the change or provides the information. 
  • Where any of the above would mean that entitlement to Carer Support would begin before 15 March 2026, the entitlement should begin instead on 15 March 2026 (when Carer Support was introduced).

Example: Ola has been getting Carer Support Payment since 19/11/2023.

She has an award of ‘underlying entitlement’ due to receiving new-style Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) which is an overlapping benefit with Carer Support Payment. On 28/02/2026 we receive information from DWP showing that Ola’s ESA will end on 07/03/2026. Ola also contacts us on 07/03/2026 to tell us about this change. This is not processed immediately so on 14/03/2026 Ola still has underlying entitlement to Carer Support Payment. On 15/03/2026 a determination without application is made on 15/03/2026 that Jen is entitled to Carer Support, including a Carer Support Payment award of £0 but not Scottish Carer Supplement.

On 23/03/2026 the change of circumstances task is picked up and it is determined that Ola is entitled to a higher rate of Carer Support. Ola has reported the change to her ESA on time so the increase to her entitlement should take effect from 08/03/2026, the first day of the award week in which she met the criteria for the higher amount. As an increase to Carer Support can’t begin before 15/06/2026, Ola is entitled to the increased amount of Carer Support from 15/03/3036, including the full amount of Carer Support Payment and Scottish Carer Supplement. A separate determination would need to be made to award Ola the full rate of Carer Support Payment under the savings provisions (The Carer’s Assistance (Miscellaneous and Consequential Amendments, Revocation, Transitional and Saving Provisions) (Scotland) Regulations 2025, Part 5) for the period from 08/03/2026 to 15/03/2026.

Transfer to Carer Support – entitlement to Carer Additional Person Payment

Carer Additional Person Payment is available from the 15th March 2026. When the determination without application of entitlement to Carer Support is made, we will not have any information to allow us to assess whether or not a carer is entitled to Carer Additional Person Payment. This is because carers will need to inform Social Security Scotland that they are caring for additional people in order to receive the additional support through the Carer Additional Person Payment.

The determination will show Carer Additional Person Payment as a £0 award. A new determination must be made ‘as soon as reasonably practicable’ after this first determination where we become aware that a carer would have been eligible for Carer Additional Person Payment on 15 March 2026 when the original determination without application was made.

Where a carer contacts us to request Carer Additional Person Payment and it is determined that they would have been entitled to the component when the initial determination without application was made on 15/03/2026, their entitlement to Carer Additional Person Payment can begin:

  • On the first day of the award week in which the individual first met the requirements for Carer Additional Person Payment where they provide information to demonstrate their entitlement within 13 weeks of the initial determination of entitlement to Carer Support
  • On the first day of the award week in which the individual first met the requirements for Carer Additional Person Payment, where the or information demonstrating entitlement provided more than 13 weeks after the initial determination of entitlement – where it is considered that the individual has a ‘good reason’ for not doing so sooner

In any other case, on the first day of the award week in which they provided the information

When a determination without application is not required on 15 March 2026

The requirement to make a determination without application of entitlement to Carer Support does not apply where:

  • The person a carer is caring for died on or before 14 March 2026 and the carer is receiving Carer Support Payment due to the ‘bereavement run-on’: these carers will not have their benefits transferred to Carer Support as their entitlement to support will end shortly and it is considered that making these changes for only a short period would add confusion and complexity for carers at a difficult time. 
  • The carer has moved from Scotland to the rest of the UK and is getting Carer Support Payment as they are treated as being in Scotland as part of the ‘cross-border run-on’: these carers will not have their benefits transferred to Carer Support as they are no longer living in Scotland and would be applying for Carer’s Allowance in the rest of the UK instead. 
  • The carer’s Carer Support Payment has been suspended: in these situations a determination of a carer’s entitlement to Carer Support should be made where a decision is taken to end the suspension and as a result of that decision the individual has ongoing entitlement to Carer Support Payment in respect of 14 March 2026.

Transfer to Carer Support – situations where carers do not have ongoing entitlement to Carer Support Payment on 14 March 2026

Carers who have previously been receiving Carer Support Payment but who do not have ongoing entitlement on 14 March 2026 will not have their benefits transferred to Carer Support. However, Carer Support Payment may later be reinstated for a period which includes a period up to the 14 March 2026 (The Carer’s Assistance (Miscellaneous and Consequential Amendments, Revocation, Transitional and Saving Provisions) (Scotland) Regulations 2025, Part 5). This could be the case where:

Carer Support has been ended in a situation where ‘temporary stops in entitlement’ rules apply – for example where the award has ended due to earnings over the earnings limit or a temporary break in care over the allowed amount for a period. In this situation, if a carer later becomes entitled again within 26 weeks of their Carer Support Payment ending, support can be reinstated through a determination without application. If Carer Support is reinstated after 15 March 2026 for a period which includes 14 March 2026, a determination without application can be made to reinstate the Carer Support Payment (as a standalone benefit as it was before 15 March 2026) award for the period up to and including 14 March 2026, and a further determination of entitlement to Carer Support should be made from 15 March 2026, based on the individual’s entitlement to Carer Support Payment on 14 March 2026.

Example: Derek has been getting Carer Support Payment since 08/06/2025.

He is caring for his mother, Ida, and his Carer Support Payment is stopped on 21/12/2025 when her Adult Disability Payment is reduced to £0 due to a stay in hospital. On 14/03/2026 he has no ongoing entitlement to Carer Support Payment so no determination of his entitlement to Carer Support is required. On 27/03/2026 Derek reports that his mother left hospital at the beginning of March and we confirm that her Adult Disability Payment was reinstated as of 04/03/2026. It is considered that Derek reported this change as soon as reasonably practicable so his Carer Support Payment is reinstated from 01/03/2026, the first day of the award week in which he first met the eligibility criteria for Carer Support Payment again. As, following this, he had ongoing entitlement to Carer Support Payment in respect of 14 March 2026, a further determination without application is then needed to award Carer Support to him from 15/03/2026.

Carer Support Payment has been ended and the carer is challenging this decision through re-determination or appeal. In this situation, if the outcome of the re-determination or appeal means that the carer is awarded Carer Support Payment for a past period which includes ongoing entitlement in respect of 14 March 2026, following this re-determination which could cover any period up to 14 March 2026, a determination without application of the carer’s entitlement to Carer Support should be made from 15 March 2026 onwards, on the basis of the carer’s entitlement to Carer Support Payment on 14 March 2026.

Example: Caitlin has been getting Carer Support Payment since December 2024.

Caitlin is self-employed and her Carer Support Payment award is ended on 18/01/2026 as she is assessed, following a review, as having earnings over the earnings limit. On 26/01/2026 Caitlin requests a re-determination of the decision as she feels her earnings would have been under the limit after her expenses. Caitlin has no ongoing entitlement to Carer Support Payment on 14/03/2026 so no determination of her entitlement to Carer Support is required. The re-determination completes on 23/03/2026 and finds that Caitlin’s Carer Support Payment should not have been ended, so it is reinstated from 18/01/2026. As, following this, she had ongoing entitlement to Carer Support Payment in respect of 14 March 2026, a further determination without application is then needed to award Carer Support to her from 15/03/2026.

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