Disability Living Allowance for children and existing adult claims

Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is a benefit that helps with the extra costs of looking after a child who is under 16, has difficulties walking or needs much more looking after than a child of the same age without a disability¹. The weekly rate is between £30.30 and £194.60, depending on how much help the child needs¹. It is paid on top of any other income, it is tax-free, and it is not means-tested, so it does not matter what you earn or have in savings.

New claims from adults are no longer possible: DLA has been abolished for new claims from people aged between 16 and State Pension age². Adults are still in receipt of DLA, but new claims can only be made for children³. So today DLA matters in two situations: claiming for a disabled child, and being an existing adult claimant whose award has continued from before the replacement began.

Who can still get Disability Living Allowance

For children, DLA is open to a child who is under 16 and has difficulties walking or needs much more looking after than a child of the same age who does not have a disability¹. A child can claim if they are under 16, disabled and need extra help to look after themselves or have difficulty walking or getting around⁸. No formal diagnosis is needed: you can apply even if your child does not have one⁹.

For adults, the position depends on age and on when the claim started. DLA has been abolished for all new claims from people aged between 16 and State Pension age¹⁰. People who were over 65 on 8 April 2013 continue to receive DLA for as long as they are eligible¹¹, and those born on or before 8 April 1948 can continue to receive it as long as they still have care or mobility needs¹². Existing claimants can also continue to get DLA when they become a part-time student, as long as they still meet the criteria¹³.

In Scotland, DLA for both children and adults has been replaced by Scottish benefits, covered later in this page. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, the practical rule is simple: if you are claiming for a child under 16, DLA is the benefit to claim; if you are over 16, you cannot claim DLA but may be eligible for Personal Independence Payment instead¹⁴.

Care and mobility: the two parts of DLA

DLA is made up of two components: care and mobility⁴. A child may be eligible for one or both¹⁵. The care component pays for the extra looking after a child needs, and the mobility component pays for help with getting around.

The care component has three rates, and which one applies depends on how much extra care the child needs during the day and night. The mobility component has two rates. Help with mobility applies to children whose problems getting around are caused by learning or behavioural conditions as well as physical disability¹⁶, so a child does not need a physical condition to qualify.

There are minimum ages for the mobility component. You cannot claim it before your child reaches the age of three for the higher rate, or the age of five for the lower rate¹⁰. The care component can be claimed from the age of three months, or from birth if your child has a terminal illness⁷.

If your child's condition varies, they can still get DLA as long as there is a pattern of substantial care needs or mobility problems¹⁶. Fluctuating conditions do not rule out a claim; what matters is the overall pattern of need over time rather than a constant level of difficulty.

DLA rates: from £30.30 to £194.60 a week

The rates below apply from 6 April 2026¹⁷. A child receiving both components at the highest rates would receive the maximum of £194.60 a week, the sum of the highest care rate and the higher mobility rate.

The official benefit and pension rates for 2026/27 confirm the same figures, with the care component's lowest rate rising from £29.20 to £30.30¹⁸. DLA is usually paid every four weeks¹⁹, and payments are normally made every four weeks in arrears into the account given as part of the claim²⁰. Awards are usually made for a minimum of six months, or longer if the child continues to have care needs¹⁹. Some awards are indefinite, where the payment is ongoing, while others are fixed for a set period⁹.

The three-month and six-month qualifying rules

A DLA award does not start from the day a need first appears. Your child must have needed extra help for the past three months and be expected to need extra help for at least the next six months⁵. In other words, the child needs to have met the disability tests for three months before they can be paid, and must also be likely to continue to meet these tests for at least six months after the start of the award⁸.

The claim form asks for the date your child first started to have the care needs you describe, and that date is where the three-month period is measured from¹⁶. The same structure applies in Scotland's Child Disability Payment, where an applicant must have lived with a disability or long-term health condition for at least three months and be expected to continue for at least six months²¹.

There is one main exception. An exception to the three-month rule is made if a child is terminally ill under the special rules¹⁶. Claims under the special rules are handled differently and more quickly, and are covered under how to claim below.

How to claim DLA for a child

A claim starts by ordering or requesting the claim form. You can make an initial claim by calling the Disability Living Allowance Helpline on 0800 121 4600 (textphone: 0800 012 1574)²². Order a claim form from the DLA Unit by calling 0800 121 4600, or 0800 587 0912 in Northern Ireland. You have six weeks to complete the form and post it to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)⁷.

The form is long, and the answers matter more than the diagnosis. The DWP will ask for information about the child's health condition or disability, how much extra help the child needs, and whether the child can walk or move about²³. Some parts of the form deserve particular attention:

• Question 38 can be filled in by a paid carer, relative or friend, health care professional, social worker or a teacher, ideally a professional with regular involvement in the child's care¹⁶.
• Questions 46 to 47 cover help to communicate with other people¹⁶.
• Question 52 should be completed to receive information about the Motability scheme, which allows higher rate mobility money to lease a car or wheelchair¹⁶.
• Question 65 covers blackouts, fits and seizures, including fits, convulsions, fainting, dizziness, loss of consciousness, or asthma attacks¹⁶.
• Question 71 asks the date the child first started to have the care needs described¹⁶.
• If the tick boxes are not enough, use the extra text boxes on pages 19, 34 and 37 to provide more information¹⁶.

Any document, letter or statement can be sent with the claim, but it is very important to check that any evidence sent accurately describes the child's needs, or it may harm the claim¹⁶. After the form is sent, an acknowledgement is normally issued within two weeks and a decision usually follows within three months⁷. If the decision maker is unclear about the child's needs, they can arrange for a DWP approved doctor to visit, examine the child and prepare a medical report, and this can lead to delays¹⁶.

Under the special rules for terminally ill children in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, a doctor or another health professional must complete an SR1 form¹⁰. If doctors say a child is terminally ill and reasonably expected to die within twelve months, the highest rate of the care component is paid automatically under the special rules¹⁰.

One group should also know about a specific review route. Families affected by the DLA congenital heart disease administrative exercise can contact Disability Living Allowance for children and ask for a review, quoting 'DLA CHD administrative exercise', by phone on 0800 904 7413 or by post²⁴.

Tax-free, not means-tested and ignored as income

DLA is a tax-free benefit, so you will not have to pay tax on it if you qualify²². It is not taxable for adult recipients either²⁵. It is paid in addition to other benefits and is not treated as income¹².

The benefit is not means-tested, so it does not matter what other income or savings you have⁴. When a review takes place to see if a child is eligible, your income or savings are not taken into account²². This is why a parent starting work, increasing hours or saving money does not reduce a child's DLA: the award depends only on the child's care and mobility needs.

DLA is also ignored as income for Housing Benefit¹², and the same principle applies across the main disability benefits, where any income, including student grants or loans, and savings are ignored¹³. This treatment is what makes DLA a foundation benefit: it adds to household income rather than displacing other support.

How DLA can increase other benefits

DLA will not reduce any other benefits you are receiving. In fact, it could even increase them, and it may also help you qualify for benefits such as Universal Credit or Carer's Allowance for the first time²². When a child is awarded DLA, you may be entitled to extra amounts in other benefits you receive, or become entitled to a new benefit for the first time⁴.

The mechanism is straightforward. Means-tested benefits such as Universal Credit include extra elements for a disabled child, and a DLA award is usually the evidence that unlocks them. Separately, caring for a child receiving the care component at the middle or highest rate can open a claim for Carer's Allowance, subject to its own earnings limit. The knock-on effects are why many families find a DLA award changes their household income by more than the DLA payment itself.

Because these extra amounts depend on the DLA award staying in place, it is worth reporting changes that affect the child's needs promptly. For a child's claim, you need to report changes like their address, the name of their doctor, if they need more help, and if their health condition changes²³. More detail is in reporting a change of circumstances.

When DLA stops or changes: hospital, residential care and going abroad

DLA can stop or be suspended in particular circumstances, and knowing the triggers avoids surprises.

Hospital. For people aged 18 or over, DLA payments stop after 28 days in hospital²⁶. After 28 days in hospital, payment of the mobility component of DLA will also stop for people who were living in a care home before going into hospital²⁶. The stop is temporary: if payments stop, they will be paid again as soon as you come out of hospital, and you do not lose your entitlement²⁶.

Residential care. For a child's claim, payments usually stop when the child spends 28 'linked' days in a residential care home, residential school or residential college, though the mobility component continues⁷. In Northern Ireland, if your local Trust is funding residential care or nursing home fees, both the care component and the mobility component of your DLA may be affected²⁷. Moving into a home should not affect the mobility component of your DLA²⁷. People who pay for the care home themselves can continue to receive the care and mobility parts of DLA²⁸.

Going abroad. DLA is a benefit with residence conditions, and the rules on going abroad are set out in official guidance on social security abroad²⁹. If your child moves from Scotland to England or Wales, a new claim for DLA for children is needed as soon as they move¹. The general rules on holidays and moving overseas are covered in going abroad.

Renewals. Many children's awards are for a fixed period. Renewal claimants are usually contacted 20 weeks before the award is due to end¹⁵. You could miss out on payments if you return the renewal form after the end date¹⁵.

Turning 16: the move from DLA to PIP

DLA has been replaced by Personal Independence Payment (PIP) for people of working age, that is between the ages of 16 and State Pension age⁸. A child's DLA does not simply continue into adulthood: your child may move from DLA to PIP when they turn 16¹⁵.

The move is a fresh claim, not an automatic transfer. PIP has its own assessment, and the DLA award does not guarantee a PIP award at any particular rate. The differences between the two benefits, including how the assessment works and what the daily living and mobility activities cover, are set out in PIP vs DLA and in the guide to what happens to a child's DLA at 16. Because the claim is made by the young person rather than a parent, families often look at appointees and third parties if the young person cannot manage the claim themselves.

Existing adult claims and reassessment for PIP

Adults who have received DLA since before the replacement began keep their awards for now, but reassessment is built into the system. From 8 April 2013, the DWP started to replace DLA for working age people with PIP³⁰. If you were under 65 on 8 April 2013, you will be reassessed for PIP at some point in the future¹¹. If you live in England or Wales, you will get a letter telling you when this will happen and how you can apply for PIP².

The reassessment is not triggered by a change in your condition: it follows the Department's own timetable, and the letter is the signal to act. Until that letter arrives, an existing award continues as long as you remain eligible. DLA is being replaced by other benefits, and the direction of travel is one-way: once reassessed, a claimant does not return to DLA².

Disability benefits claimed under the special rules for terminal illness, including DLA, are backdated to when you applied, but not before¹⁴. For everyone else, the same rule applies: no payment is made for periods before the claim date.

Challenging a DLA decision

A DLA decision can be challenged, and the process has defined stages. You can challenge a decision about a DLA claim by asking for a mandatory reconsideration, where someone looks at the claim again²³. The request must normally be made within one month of the date of the decision being challenged, by phone or in writing using form CRMR1 or a letter⁷. If you disagree with the DWP's decision after reconsideration, you can appeal it⁹.

The one-month deadline is the point most claimants lose their chance, so the date on the decision letter is the thing to check first. If the deadline has already passed, late challenges are sometimes possible, and appealing after the one-month deadline explains when. The stages are covered in more detail in challenging a decision and mandatory reconsideration vs tribunal appeal. If the complaint is about delay rather than the decision itself, you can complain to the customer services manager at the office dealing with the claim¹⁶, and complaining to the DWP and the Ombudsman sets out the escalation route.

Scotland and Northern Ireland: where the rules differ

There are differences to DLA if you live in other parts of the UK²³. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the benefit is DLA; in Scotland the equivalent benefits are Child Disability Payment and Adult Disability Payment⁴.

Scotland. Adult Disability Payment has replaced PIP and DLA for those aged between 16 and State Pension age³². It is made up of two parts, daily living and mobility, and people may qualify for one or both³³. If you get PIP, it will be moved to Adult Disability Payment³⁴. Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance is for people who are over 18, already get DLA for adults from the DWP, and live in Scotland; there are no new applications³⁵. Social Security Scotland publishes guidance for people moving to Scotland from the rest of the UK, covering how disability and carer benefits transfer³⁶. The rules when crossing the border in either direction are explained in moving between Scotland and the rest of the UK, and the Scottish benefits are covered in Adult Disability Payment and Child Disability Payment.

Northern Ireland. DLA continues in Northern Ireland, administered locally, and the claim form is ordered on 0800 587 0912⁷. The residential care rules differ in one respect from Great Britain: where a local Trust funds care home fees, both components may be affected²⁷. People from abroad may also be eligible for Northern Ireland's DLA in certain circumstances³⁷. Payments in Northern Ireland are made on the same every-four-weeks schedule²⁰.

Where to get free help

The DLA claim form is long, and free help is available at every stage. The DLA helpline (0800 121 4600, or 0800 587 0912 in Northern Ireland) handles claims and queries⁷. Contact, the charity for families of disabled children, publishes detailed guidance on completing the form question by question¹⁶, and Scope publishes guidance on DLA claims and renewals⁹. Carers UK covers DLA alongside the benefits it unlocks for carers²², and Turn2us and Entitledto provide eligibility information and benefit calculators⁴. A free, independent benefits calculation before claiming is covered in checking what you are entitled to.