Backdated Carer Support Payment

Backdating for more than 13 weeks

Social Security Scotland may be able to backdate your Carer Support Payment for more than 13 weeks. To do this, the person you care for must have both:

• been awarded their disability benefit in the last 13 weeks
• had their disability benefit backdated to a start date more than 13 weeks ago

In this circumstance, you can get Carer Support Payment starting from the date the disability benefit was backdated to. 

Anyone who wants to backdate for more than 13 weeks needs to apply on the phone, in person or on a video call. Contact Social Security Scotland.

If you live in Angus, North Lanarkshire, or South Lanarkshire

Social Security Scotland may be able to backdate your Carer Support Payment for more than 13 weeks even if you do not apply within 13 weeks of the person you care for being awarded their disability benefit.

You’d need to apply for Carer Support Payment by 22 September 2024 and meet at least one of these criteria:

• you're a full-time student, or were on the date you're backdating to
• you’ve spent more than 1 of the last 3 years outside England, Wales or Scotland
• you have a terminal illness, so the normal Carer Support Payment rules about where you need to live may not apply to you
• the person you care for has a terminal illness, so the normal rules about where they live may not apply to them for their disability benefit

If this applies to you, you may be able to backdate your Carer Support Payment as far back as 19 November 2023. To do this, you need to apply for Carer Support Payment by 22 September 2024. That's 13 weeks after Carer Support Payment was introduced into your area. If you apply after this, you may be able to backdate your payment to 19 November 2023 if you have a good reason for not applying before 22 September 2024.

Anyone who wants to backdate for more than 13 weeks needs to apply on the phone, in person or on a video call. Contact Social Security Scotland.

If you live in Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, Fife or Moray

Social Security Scotland may be able to backdate your Carer Support Payment for more than 13 weeks even if you do not apply within 13 weeks of the person you care for being awarded their disability benefit.

You’d need to apply for Carer Support Payment by 17 November 2024 and meet at least one of these criteria:

• you're a full-time student, or were on the date you’re backdating to
• you’ve spent more than 1 of the last 3 years outside England, Wales or Scotland
• you have a terminal illness, so the normal Carer Support Payment rules about where you need to live may not apply to you
• the person you care for has a terminal illness, so the normal rules about where they live may not apply to them for their disability benefit

If this applies to you, you may be able to backdate your Carer Support Payment as far back as 19 November 2023. To do this, you need to apply for Carer Support Payment by 17 November 2024. That’s 13 weeks after Carer Support Payment was introduced in your area. If you apply after this, you may be able to backdate your payment to 19 November 2023 if you have a good reason for not applying before 17 November 2024.

Anyone who wants to backdate for more than 13 weeks needs to apply on the phone, in person or on a video call. Contact Social Security Scotland.

If you're aged 16 to 19 and studying

The eligibility criteria changed in June 2024 to enable more people to get Carer Support Payment. This means you may now be eligible for Carer Support Payment if you’re aged 16 to 19, have exceptional circumstances and study certain courses for 21 hours or more a week.

If this applies to you, the furthest back that Social Security Scotland can backdate your payment to is 23 June 2024. This is because that’s when the new eligibility criteria came into effect. Before 23 June 2024, you were not eligible for Carer Support Payment.