Around 90,000 unpaid carers are set to receive an additional payment of £293.50 before this weekend (Image: Getty)
The boost is being made available to unpaid carers who will receive an additional payment of £293.50; Carer’s Allowance Supplement is available in Scotland will be issued over Wednesday and Thursday this week – June 18 and 19.
The Daily Record reported that the payment, issued by Social Security Scotland, will be made to people who receive Carer Support Payment or Carer’s Allowance on a specific date. Only carers in Scotland are eligible for the payment if they received Carer Support Payment or Carer’s Allowance on April 14, 2025.
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The £293.50 Carer’s Allowance Supplement is paid separately from any benefit payment from Social Security Scotland or the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
Eligible carers should receive a letter from Social Security Scotland, although this may arrive after the money has landed in accounts. There is no need to apply for the allowance which is paid automatically to everyone who is eligible.
Shirley-Anne Somerville, Social Justice Secretary, said: “This benefit was the first that we introduced when we formed Social Security Scotland back in 2018. It’s an additional payment to recognise the important contribution of unpaid carers in Scotland. A payment not made anywhere else in the UK.”
“It’s another example of how we’ve built a radically different social security system in Scotland, with dignity, fairness and respect at its heart.”
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Claire Cairns, director at The Coalition of Carers in Scotland said: “At a time when many carers are struggling to pay the bills, while providing essential support to loved ones, this payment is a vital acknowledgment of their role and a much-needed financial boost that helps ease some of the pressure they face every day.”
If a carer is eligible for Carer’s Allowance Supplement but has not received a letter or payment by June 30, 2025, they should contact Social Security Scotland on 0800 182 2222.
December 2025 Carer’s Allowance Supplement payment
The next Carer’s Allowance Supplement payment will be issued in December 2025. People will qualify for this payment if they were in receipt of Carer Support Payment or Carer’s Allowance on October 13, 2025.
Similar to the summer payment, letters will be issued by Social Security Scotland before the money is due to land in bank accounts.
If you, or someone you know, is providing at least 35 hours of unpaid care for a friend, family member or neighbour, and not claiming Carer Support Payment, you could be missing out on nearly £5,000 this year.
Am I eligible for Carer Support Payment?
Carer Support Payment is money you can get if you provide care for someone and meet certain eligibility criteria.
You must:
- be 16 or over
- usually live in Scotland
- provide care for 35 hours or more a week, this includes if you provide care all day every day
- not earn more than £196 a week after tax, National Insurance and expenses
The person you care for must already get one of these benefits:
- Adult Disability Payment – daily living component
- Child Disability Payment – middle or highest rate care component
- Pension Age Disability Payment
- Attendance Allowance
- Personal Independence Payment – daily living component
- Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance – middle or highest rate care component
- Disability Living Allowance – middle or highest rate care component
- Constant Attendance Allowance at or above normal maximum rate with Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit
- Constant Attendance Allowance at or above the basic (full day) rate with a War Disablement Pension
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
You can find out more about how it might affect other payments here.
The type of care you provide
To get Carer Support Payment, you must provide care for someone as an unpaid carer for 35 hours or more a week.
It cannot be care you provide:
- as a professional care worker
- through a volunteering scheme or charity
Even if you do not think of yourself as an unpaid carer, you might be eligible for Carer Support Payment. Examples of caring for someone include supporting them:
- with their mental health
- during an illness
- with a disability
- if they have an addiction
Supporting someone with their mental health
If you provide care for someone with a mental health condition, you might:
- comfort them during a panic attack
- stay close by so they do not feel alone
- support them through a crisis
- make sure they’re safe
- keep them company
Supporting someone with an illness or disability
If you provide care for someone with an illness or disability, you might support them with:
- getting around
- getting dressed
- taking medicines
- using the shower or toilet
- cooking meals
- food shopping
- translating
You can check if you are eligible for Carer Support Payment and find full details on the devolved benefit on the mygov.scot website here
The person you provide care for
You might provide care for:
- someone in your family
- a friend
- a neighbour
You do not have to live with them or be related to them.
You can only apply for Carer Support Payment for one person. If you provide care for more people, you are not entitled to extra payments.
