Disability Living Allowance for Children: Rates and Claims

The child must be under 16, need extra looking after or have walking difficulties, and be living in England or Wales when you claim. Anyone over 16 must apply for Personal Independence Payment.

The child's disability or health condition must mean at least one of these applies:

• ✓Yes: They need much more looking after than a child of the same age who does not have a disability
• ✓Yes: They have difficulty getting about

They must have had these difficulties for at least 3 months and expect them to last for at least 6 months. If your child is nearing the end of life, they do not need to have had these difficulties for 3 months. DWP's notes on the claim form say you may not think of the child as being disabled, but if they need the type of help explained in the notes, they may get DLA.

How long your child must usually have lived in England, Scotland or Wales depends on how old they are:

• Under 6 months old: at least 13 weeks
• Between 6 months and 3 years old: at least 26 of the last 156 weeks
• Over 3 years old: at least 6 of the last 12 months

To claim DLA for a child you need to be their parent or look after them as if you are their parent. This includes step-parents, guardians, grandparents, foster-parents or older brothers or sisters. If your child is not a British citizen, they must also have the right to claim public funds. This will depend on their immigration status.

DLA for children is made up of 2 components. The child might qualify for one or both components. The DLA rate is between £30.30 and £194.60 a week and depends on the level of help the child needs.

DLA is usually paid every 4 weeks on a Tuesday. If your payment date is on a bank holiday, you will usually be paid before the bank holiday. It is paid into your bank or building society account. If your child is under the mobility age limits and you claim DLA for them, you should be sent a claim pack 6 months before they turn 3 and 6 months before they turn 5. You can then apply for the mobility component if you think they are eligible for it.

If your child is nearing the end of life (for example, due to a life-limiting illness), you might be able to get DLA for children more quickly and at a higher rate. This is sometimes called special rules for end of life. Your child is usually eligible if they are under 16 and your doctor or medical professional has said they might have 12 months or less to live.

A child who is terminally ill, meaning they have a progressive disease and their death from it can reasonably be expected within 12 months, and who claims expressly on that ground, is taken to have satisfied the care conditions for the 3 months before the claim and to satisfy them for as long as they are terminally ill. That means the highest rate of the care component, which is £114.60 a week in 2026/27.

• Ask a medical professional for form SR1. They will either fill it in and give it to you or send it straight to DWP.
• Contact the Disability Living Allowance helpline on 0800 121 4600 to start the claim.
• Your child may also be eligible for the mobility component on top.
• If your child already gets DLA, contact the helpline straight away so the award can be looked at again.

If your child lives in England or Wales you can apply by printing off and filling in the DLA claim form, or by phoning the Disability Living Allowance helpline on 0800 121 4600 and asking for a printed form. The helpline is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. You cannot complete the form using a mobile phone or tablet. You have to use a desktop or laptop computer, or print the form and complete it by hand, or call the helpline to ask for a paper form.

DLA can be paid from the start of your claim. It cannot be backdated. Your claim will start on the date the form is received or the date you call the enquiry line (if you return the claim pack within 6 weeks). After you have applied, you will get a letter within 3 weeks confirming your application.

Examples of evidence you could send with the form:

• Reports or care or treatment plans from occupational therapists, GPs or consultants, social workers, learning disability support teams, district nurses and physiotherapists
• Reports, statements or diaries from carers or family members
• Hospital discharge or outpatient clinic letters, and letters from the child's consultant about their condition or diagnosis
• Test results from scans, diagnostic tests and hearing or vision tests
• A statement of special educational needs or an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan

Please do not send original documents, because DWP cannot return them. Only send copies. Do not send appointment cards or letters, letters arranging hospital admissions, or general information or fact sheets about the child's condition or medication. You may find keeping a diary or daily record helps you fill in the claim form. You must decide if you want to keep a diary. It is to help you fill in the claim form, and you do not have to send it. If you can, it may be useful to take a copy or take pictures of the claim form once you have filled it in.

A DLA award can bring other support:

• Universal Credit: you might get an extra monthly amount if any of your children are disabled, either £164.79 (the lower amount) or £514.71 (the higher amount). The higher amount is for a child who gets the highest rate of the care component of DLA for children
• Carer's Allowance: you might qualify if you spend at least 35 hours a week caring for a child who gets the middle or highest care rate of DLA, and your earnings are £204 or less a week after tax, National Insurance and expenses
• Exemption from vehicle tax, if you get the higher rate mobility component of DLA
• The Motability Scheme, which can help you with leasing a car, powered wheelchair or scooter, if you are getting the higher rate of the mobility component of DLA
• A Blue Badge: you automatically qualify if you are aged 3 or over and you receive the higher rate of the mobility component of DLA

The child must be awarded DLA at the middle or the highest rate of care before the Carer's Allowance claim is made. Carer's Allowance should be claimed within 3 months of the DLA decision being made or the carer could lose benefit. If you or anyone in your household is on Universal Credit, Income Support, Jobseeker's Allowance or Pension Credit, you should contact the benefit you get to tell them about the DLA claim.

You must contact the DLA helpline if:

• Your child's personal details change, for example their name, address or doctor
• The level of help they need or their condition changes
• A medical professional has said they are nearing the end of life
• They go into hospital or a care home
• They plan to go abroad for more than 4 weeks
• They are imprisoned or held in detention
• Their immigration status has changed, if they are not a British citizen
• They go into a residential school

You could be taken to court or have to pay a penalty if you give wrong information or do not report a change in your child's circumstances. A change can affect how much DLA your child gets.

Your child will need to apply for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) when they turn 16. They will get a letter inviting them to apply for PIP. The letter will be sent shortly after their 16th birthday, or when they leave hospital if they were in hospital on their 16th birthday, or about 20 weeks before their DLA award ends if they were awarded DLA under special rules for people who might have 12 months or less to live. Your child's DLA payments will stop unless they apply for PIP by the date given in the letter. If they apply by that date, they will continue to receive DLA until their claim is assessed. If your child is severely disabled and cannot manage their own benefits, you may be able to apply to manage their affairs on their behalf once they turn 16. This is called becoming an appointee.

In Scotland, Child Disability Payment can be paid until age 18. To get it in the first place the child must be under 16 on the day entitlement begins, but where entitlement starts before 16 it can continue until they reach 18, to give continuity through the move from children's to adults' health and social care services. A young person in Scotland may apply for Adult Disability Payment up to 13 weeks before their 16th birthday, though the earliest they can be paid is their 16th birthday. If they apply for Adult Disability Payment before they turn 18, Child Disability Payment can continue until they are 19, or until Adult Disability Payment starts, whichever is earlier.

Our guide to moving from DLA to PIP covers the transition in detail.