Carer's Allowance transitional protection for Scottish customers: agency agreement
Agency agreement between the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and Scottish ministers on delivery of Carer's Allowance to people resident in Scotland.
Applies to England and Scotland
Documents
Details
This Agency Agreement sets out how the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will continue to deliver and administer Carer’s Allowance on behalf of the Scottish Ministers for a small group of people in Scotland who are protected by historic transitional arrangements. These customers are individuals who retained entitlement to Carer’s Allowance under earlier rules that granted lifetime awards beyond State Pension age. The agreement, made under section 93 of the Scotland Act 1998, takes effect from 1 April 2026 and will remain in place until there are no remaining customers with transitional protection.
Under the agreement, DWP will continue to manage all operational aspects of these cases using its existing processes, with the exception of debt recovery, which will not be carried out for Scottish residents. The document also establishes arrangements for governance, dispute resolution, litigation, business continuity, information sharing, communications, audit, and data protection. No recharge will be made to the Scottish Government due to the low cost of administering these remaining cases, and both parties agree to work collaboratively to ensure continuity of service and a consistent customer experience for affected customers in Scotland.