• More than a quarter of carers (28%) and 41% of carers on Carer’s Allowance are struggling to make ends meet
• 44% of carers on Carer’s Allowance are cutting back on food and heating
• One in six carers on Carer’s Allowance are visiting foodbanks

These findings come from ‘State of Caring in Scotland – The financial impact of caring in 2023’, the first in a series of three reports produced by Carers Scotland, exploring key findings from their annual State of Caring Scotland survey, which was conducted between June and August this year and completed by 1,771 unpaid carers across the country. 

The report shows that those who are in receipt of Carer’s Allowance, the main benefit for unpaid carers, have been hit particularly hard by rising prices and the cost-of-living crisis. Four in ten (41%) said that they were struggling to make ends meet and had to cut their expenses to the bone and were falling into debt and arrears as a result. 

Even more concerningly, the number of unpaid carers on Carer’s Allowance cutting back on essentials continues to grow, more than doubling since 2021. Today, 44% of these carers are cutting back on food and heating versus 22% just two years ago. This has led to one in six (16%) carers on benefits being forced to visit foodbanks.

Read the full findings by downloading the report below.