Who a payment can be made to

Where an award relates to a carer who is entitled to Carer Support Payment, payment should be made to one of the following: 

• the carer who has been awarded Carer Support Payment  
• an appointee of the carer 
• someone with legal powers to manage the carer’s affairs, such as someone with Power of Attorney or a Guardian  
• someone that the carer has requested should receive payment on their behalf

Carer Support Payment can be paid to someone else at any point if the carer requests it. This may follow a change of circumstances or the availability of new information (Carer Support Payment Regulations, Regulation 15).

Whether an appointee should receive Carer Support Payment on behalf of the carer is a formal process.

A decision relating to whether an appointment should be made can be made at the beginning of an application, or at any time after this when required. 

Anyone holding legal powers such as Power of Attorney or Guardianship for the carer, including managing their finances will have undergone a legal process involving a solicitor and the powers must be Court approved.

Formal papers will be lodged with the Office of the Public Guardian. Because a legal process has taken place, anyone holding these powers will supersede an appointee: 

• who has been approved by either the DWP or Social Security Scotland 
• where the process is less formal and does not involve a solicitor, Court or the Office of the Public Guardian