When payments may be suspended

Ongoing payments of Carer Support Payment may be suspended where: 

• the client has been asked for information to confirm they are still entitled to the benefit and they have not provided this on time 
• someone is receiving assistance on behalf of the client, and they are no longer able to do this, or  
• there is a risk of financial abuse (Carer Support Payment Regulations, Regulation 29)

Decisions about whether or not to suspend payments must look at whether this would cause financial problems for the client (Carer Support Payment Regulations, Regulation 30).

Carers must be informed of the reasons for the suspension and be given information in writing on this, and action which can be taken by them for Ministers to consider ending the suspension. Carers will be able to request a review of the decision to suspend their payments if they disagree with this and they must also be informed of this right (Carer Support Payment Regulations, Regulation 31 and 32). This review does not have the same status as a re-determination or appeal.  

When a suspension is ended, the client must be paid any payments they were entitled to which were not paid during the suspension (Carer Support Payment Regulations, Regulation 33 and Carer Support Payment Regulations, Regulation 34)

Impact of Carer Support Payment on linked entitlements 

When Carer Support Payment is suspended, there should be no impact on any linked support a client is receiving from the DWP, for example any Carer Premium in income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income Support, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction, Carer Element in Universal Credit, or Carer Addition in Pension Credit.

The DWP should be informed of suspensions of Carer Support Payment but changes to other benefits would only be made if the award is temporarily stopped or ended following a suspension. This is intended to prevent overpayments of DWP benefits.

When Carer Support Payment is suspended the client will not be eligible for Carer’s Allowance Supplement.

Carers will not be included in the ‘scan’ for Carer’s Allowance Supplement payments if their Carer Support Payment is suspended on the qualifying date for Carer’s Allowance Supplement and will not receive a payment for this date.

If the suspension is later ended and the carer should have been entitled to receive Carer Support Payment on the Carer’s Allowance Supplement qualifying date, they will receive that payment in a future Carer’s Allowance Supplement payment run. 

When a qualifying disability benefit is suspended 

A Carer Support Payment can be temporarily stopped in some situations where the qualifying disability benefit of the cared for person is suspended. More information on this is provided in the section on temporary stops.