Carer's Allowance Supplement

How it works

Carer's Allowance Supplement (CAS) is an extra payment to help carers in Scotland who get Carer's Allowance. If you care for someone for 35 hours or more a week and haven't applied for Carer's Allowance then you can apply online.

Get advice from your local Citizens Advice Bureau or carers' centre to make sure that Carer's Allowance is the best type of support for you and the person you care for.

Find your local carers' centre.

Carer's Allowance Supplement is £231.30 and is paid in two payments a year. The payments are made in the same way you get Carer's Allowance.

You must be getting Carer's Allowance on the qualifying dates to get Carer's Allowance Supplement. We set these two dates each year. The next qualifying date for Carer’s Allowance Supplement will be published in early in 2022.

The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) send us details of who is getting Carer's Allowance and living in Scotland.

Read about benefits for carers on gov.scot.

Who can get it

There is no need to apply for Carer's Allowance Supplement. You will get Carer's Allowance Supplement automatically if you get Carer's Allowance and live in Scotland. You don't need to contact the DWP or Social Security Scotland to get this payment.

If you are still waiting for a decision on your application for Carer's Allowance on the qualifying date then you won't get a payment straight away. If a decision is later made that you were eligible to get Carer's Allowance on the qualifying date then you will get a backdated payment.

If your Carer's Allowance has stopped on the qualifying date then you won't get the payment.

The payment will be made to people who live in Scotland and get Carer's Allowance on the qualifying dates.

If the person you care for does not need to live in Scotland

You might be able to get Carer's Allowance Supplement if you have a genuine and sufficient link to Scotland but live outside the United Kingdom in the European Economic Area, Switzerland or Gibraltar. See applying outside of Scotland.

If you have an 'underlying entitlement' to Carer's Allowance you won't qualify for Carer's Allowance Supplement. Carers with underlying entitlement are entitled to Carer’s Allowance but do not receive a payment because they are in receipt of another benefit at the same or higher rate. 

About the payment

You will get a letter if you are entitled to Carer's Allowance Supplement to tell you about the payment and when you will get it.

If you have been told you will get Carer's Allowance Supplement and don't get your extra payment then contact Social Security Scotland. Contact details will be on the letter you receive.

For any other problems with other benefits, contact the DWP.

You will get your Carer's Allowance paid how you normally do and your Carer's Allowance Supplement will be paid twice a year.

If you change bank account details please tell the DWP. They will tell us the bank account details they have for you each time we make a payment.

The payment will not affect any other benefits you get.

If you get the payment because of a mistake we make or it is overpaid we won't ask for the money back unless it is a large overpayment.

Coronavirus Carer's Allowance Supplement

We made an extra Carer’s Allowance Supplement payment in June 2020 and December 2021. This was on top of the standard Carer's Allowance Supplement payments.

This was to provide some extra support in recognition of the additionalpressures carers have faced during the coronavirus pandemic.

Effect on other benefits

You will continue to get the same rate of Carer's Allowance from the DWP at the same time as you do now. There will be no extra Christmas Bonus paid for Carer's Allowance Supplement.

The payment will not be taken into account when you are assessed for other benefits. You don't need to tell the DWP about this payment.

The UK Government has said that Carer's Allowance is taxable. You will still pay no tax if your taxable income is below £12,570 per year. If you pay tax, tell HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) about changes that could affect your tax code.

Sometimes you can transfer some of your personal tax allowance to a partner. For 2021 to 2022, the total amount of Carer's Allowance Supplement you could receive will be £694.20. If the Carer's Allowance Supplement will increase your income following the transfer, so that it is over the remaining personal tax allowance, you will be taxed on this income.

Your tax credits won't be affected. We have agreed with HMRC that Carer's Allowance Supplement will not be counted as income in calculating your Tax Credits award.

Carer's Allowance Supplement will not be taken into account in income assessments for college student support.

Carer's Allowance Supplement won't affect your National Insurance contributions.

Change of circumstances

We will pay Carer's Allowance Supplement automatically to people who are:

• living in Scotland
• receiving Carer's Allowance on the chosen dates

If your Carer's Allowance is stopped because of an appeal on the qualifying date then you won't get a payment. If it is later restarted and you were eligible on the qualifying date you will get a backdated Carer's Allowance Supplement payment.

If your circumstances change you should tell the DWP.

If you get a payment for six months but your caring role ends before the six months are over, you do not need to give any of the payment back.

If you are declared bankrupt Carer's Allowance Supplement can't be used to pay off your debts. This fits in with Scottish bankruptcy policy and laws. Your benefits should continue to be paid to you if you're declared bankrupt.

More support for carers

Young Carer Grant is a yearly payment of £308.15 for young carers in Scotland.

You can get a Young Carer Grant of £300 if you are not getting Carer's Allowance and are:

• caring for someone for 16 hours a week on average and for at least three months
• 16, 17 or 18 years of age

Read about the Young Carer Grant on gov.scot.

Carer’s Allowance will be fully delivered by Social Security Scotland in future. In advance of this, we have been consulting with carers and the organisations who support them, and the wider public, about how our replacement benefit, currently known as Scottish Carer's Assistance, could work better.

We have committed to making an additional payment to people who get Carer's Allowance and care for more than one disabled person.

Our priority in taking control of the benefits is to make sure that the transfer is smooth so that you still get the same support and at the right time.