Financial help for carers

This page looks at Carer's Allowance, Direct Payments for social care services, and grants for carers.

Financial support for carers

Carer's Allowance and Scotland’s Carer Support Payment

If you care for someone for 35 hours a week or more, you might be able to claim Carer’s Allowance. In Scotland, this has changed to the Carer Support Payment.

These benefits are paid to the carer and not the person with MS. Only one person can receive them for looking after an individual. There are rules about how much you can earn. A benefits adviser can help you check if you're eligible.

Carer’s Allowance

Who can get Carer’s Allowance?

You can get Carer’s Allowance if you’re at least 16, care for someone for at least 35 hours a week and that person gets one of the following benefits:

• Attendance Allowance
• the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment
• the middle or highest rate of the care component of Disability Living Allowance or certain payments for industrial injuries, the armed forces, or war pensions
• they cannot earn no more than £151 a week from employment after deductions (correct as of 2024/2025)
• and they aren’t in full-time education (21 hours or more a week)

You don’t need to be living with the person you care for.

How do I apply for Carer’s Allowance?

In England, Wales or Scotland, you can claim online or call 0800 731 0297 and ask for a form. In Northern Ireland claim online or call 0800 587 0912 and ask for a form.

Claiming Carer’s Allowance might affect payments for other benefits in the household. For example, if the person you care for gets a severe disability premium paid with some benefits, they may lose this if you get Carer’s Allowance. Speak to a benefits adviser to check your options.

Find out more about Carer’s Allowance, including how it might affect other benefits, at Carers UK

Other carers benefits 

The UK government website also has details of two other benefits you might be able to claim - Universal Credit and Pension Credit:

Read about Universal Credit at gov.uk

Read about Pension Credit at gov.uk

Direct payments

Direct payments are a way of paying for a social care service that you need. The money is given to you by your local council, or, in Northern Ireland, your Health and Social Care Trust.

If you have MS, or you’re someone’s carer, you can be assessed to see what social care support you need. This is done by the local council or Trust. If the assessment agrees that you qualify for help, you’ll be given a personal budget. This is how much the council or Trust is willing to spend on what you need. 

You can just take the services on offer from the local council or Trust. Or instead you might choose to use ‘direct payments’ from this budget to buy services you feel best meet your needs.  

Direct payments give you more control over any help you get from social services. Instead of getting the support arranged by your council or trust, you buy the services you feel you need. There are some conditions, including:

• you and/or the person you care for has been assessed as needing social care support
• the council or trust agree on how you plan to spend the money

In Scotland, you can get direct payments through what’s called ‘self-directed support’.

Direct payments means more control but also more responsibility. You must keep records of how you spend the money, and manage a separate bank account for it. Your council or Trust can support you in this. But if you feel direct payments is too much responsibility, you can ask the council or Trust to arrange your care and support services instead. Or someone else such as your carer or what’s called a broker can take this on for you. 

Find out more about direct payments at Carers UK

Grants from carers organisations

Some local carers centres have grants available. Quite often this money will be provided for things like short breaks and therapies which can help a carer maintain their caring role.

Find out about local support and grants through the Carers Trust

Scotland Young Carer Grant

If you’re a young carer aged 16-18 in Scotland, you might be able to get a Young Carer Grant from the government.

Read more about the Young Carer Grant on the Young Scot website

Further support for carers

Read more about help for carers in Scotland, and help for carers in Wales.

The booklet Looking after someone, produced by Carers UK has comprehensive information about carers' rights, financial and practical support.

You can get free and confidential advice about legal and money issues from Citizens Advice:

• Citizens Advice for carers in England
• Citizens Advice for carers in Wales
• Citizens Advice for carers in Scotland

Bear in mind that the social care system is changing - and there may be changes that could affect you.