Young Carer Grant

This advice applies in Scotland only.

The Young Carer Grant is a lump sum payment made to 16, 17 and 18 year olds who are providing at least 16 hours a week care to a severely disabled person.

What is the Young Carer Grant?

The Young Carer Grant is a lump sum payment of £383.75 for 16, 17 and 18 year olds who are providing at least 16 hours a week care to a severely disabled person.

The severely disabled person must be getting a qualifying disability benefit, for example the care component of  either Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Child Disability Payment at the middle or highest rate; the daily living component of either Personal Independence Payment (PI) or Adult Disability Payment; or Attendance Allowance. The young carer must not be getting Carer’s Allowance.

The young carer can get a grant even if they work or study full-time. The grant is not means-tested.

What type of care counts?

To be eligible, a young carer must be providing 16 hours or more care a week. This is averaged out. He or she must have provided at least 208 hours care over 10 of the 13 weeks before the date they claimed.

The care provided must promote the “physical, mental or emotional wellbeing of an individual.” This means supervision and emotional support should count as well as physical care. If the young carer looks after more than one severely disabled person, they can add together the care they provide to up to three different people.

However, all of the disabled people who are counted must be on a qualifying disability benefits.

Can a young carer get a Young Carer Grant if someone else already claims Carer’s Allowance?

Yes, if a young carer meets the qualifying rules they can get a grant, even if someone else is already claiming Carer’s Allowance for the person that they are helping look after.

So for example, a young carer who helps their parent to look after a disabled brother or sister can get a Young Carer Grant, even though their parent is already getting Carer’s Allowance as their sibling’s main carer.

Only one person can receive a Young Carer Grant for the same disabled person. Making a claim for a Young Carer Grant will not affect any benefits the young carer gets or the benefits of the person they look after.

How does a young carer apply?

Apply online by downloading a paper form at mygov.scot or by phoning Social Security Scotland for free on 0800 182 2222 (8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday). British Sign Language users can use the contactSCOTLAND app to contact Social Security Scotland by video relay. Young carers can apply once a year while they are 16, 17 or 18.

Related information

Parent guides and factsheets

Parent guide: Claiming Child Disability Payment

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Parent guides and factsheets

Parent guide: Money Matters Scotland – A checklist for when your child has additional needs

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Contact Scotland

Our team in Scotland is here to support you and your family.

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