Residence and presence

This guidance is relevant to Carer Support Payment (CSP) applicants, both:

• new applicants

• those already in receipt of the assistance reporting a change of address

It describes how rules for Carer Support Payment should be applied to decide if the applicant meets the residence and presence criteria.

In relation to Carer Support Payment, the residence and presence criteria must be met by the carer who is applying for Carer Support Payment, rather than the person they care for. 

An applicant must satisfy a number of residence and presence criteria to be eligible for a Carer Support Payment award. Those criteria differ depending on the applicant’s personal circumstances. There are special rules for some European nationals and some exceptions which apply to specific categories of people.