Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is being replaced by PIP for most adults. For children, the move from DLA to PIP comes at 16, when a letter invites them to apply for PIP, and DLA stops unless they apply by the date in the letter. Adults born after 8 April 1948 will be invited to apply for PIP. This guide explains how the move works in 2026, the dates that matter, how PIP is scored, and how Scotland is different.
Key points
✓Your child will get a letter inviting them to apply for PIP. It is sent shortly after their 16th birthday, or at the other times GOV.UK lists for hospital stays and special rules awards.
✓Their DLA stops unless they apply for PIP by the date in the letter. If they apply by that date, DLA continues until their claim is assessed.
✓PIP is a separate claim, scored on daily living and mobility activities.
✓Adults keep DLA if they were born on or before 8 April 1948. If you were born after that, DWP will invite you to apply for PIP.
✓In Scotland, Child Disability Payment is paid until 18, and young people apply for Adult Disability Payment instead of PIP.
Turning 16: how the move from DLA to PIP works
Both GOV.UK, for England and Wales, and nidirect, for Northern Ireland, say your child will need to apply for PIP when they turn 16.
1
The invitation letter arrives
The letter is sent shortly after their 16th birthday; when they leave hospital, if they were in hospital on their 16th birthday; or about 20 weeks before their DLA award ends, if they got DLA under the special rules for people who might have 12 months or less to live.
2
Apply for PIP by the date in the letter
Their DLA payments will stop unless they apply for PIP by the date given in the letter. If they apply by that date, they continue to receive DLA until their claim is assessed.
3
Complete the PIP claim
In England and Wales the PIP new claims phone line is 0800 917 2222. In Northern Ireland the PIP new claims line is 0800 012 1573. In England and Wales the claim follows the normal PIP process: a form called 'How your disability affects you', and an assessment if more information is needed.
4
The decision
If they disagree with the PIP decision, they can ask for a mandatory reconsideration, usually within one month of the date of the decision, and then appeal.
GOV.UK says your child should contact DLA to change the payment details and have DLA paid into their own bank account. 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, which is called becoming an appointee. To apply to become an appointee for your child's PIP claim, contact the PIP enquiry line.
How PIP is scored
PIP looks at daily living activities and mobility activities, and each part is scored separately:
At least 8 points in daily living activities gives the standard rate of the daily living part, and at least 12 points the enhanced rate
At least 8 points in mobility activities gives the standard rate of the mobility part, and at least 12 points the enhanced rate
A descriptor only applies if the young person can do it safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and within a reasonable time period
A descriptor applies if it is satisfied on over 50% of the days of the required period
GOV.UK says DLA is being replaced by PIP for most adults. You keep getting DLA if:
✓Yes: You're under 16
✓Yes: You were born on or before 8 April 1948
If you were born after 8 April 1948, DWP will invite you to apply for PIP. You do not need to do anything until DWP writes to you about your DLA, unless your circumstances change.
What happens when my DLA is ending?
If you were born after 8 April 1948 and live in England or Wales, GOV.UK says your DLA will end and you will get a letter telling you when that will happen. You will continue to get DLA until that date.
The letter invites you to apply for PIP, and if you do apply you need to do it within 28 days
DLA will continue to be paid until at least 28 days after a decision is made about your PIP application
If you are eligible for PIP, you start getting PIP payments as soon as your DLA payments end
DWP's PIP statistics to July 2026 say that new invitations to claim PIP for working age DLA claimants are not currently being sent out.
Northern Ireland: PIP has replaced DLA for people between 16 and State Pension age. If you already get DLA you will continue to get it until the Department for Communities writes to tell you when your DLA will end and invites you to apply for PIP. You will only be eligible to make a fresh claim to DLA if you are under 16.
Scotland: a different route
Scotland has its own disability benefits, run by Social Security Scotland:
Child Disability Payment is paid until the young person is 18
The young person can choose to apply for Adult Disability Payment 13 weeks before they turn 16
Between 16 and 18, they can choose to stay on Child Disability Payment until 18, or apply for Adult Disability Payment before they are 18
Payments can sometimes continue after 18, for example while the young person is waiting for a decision on their Adult Disability Payment application
If an Adult Disability Payment application is successful, there are no gaps between payments
Adults on Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance who were born on or after 9 April 1948 can choose to apply for Adult Disability Payment instead
Is PIP changing in 2026?
The proposed PIP ‘four-point rule’, which would have applied to new claimants from no earlier than November 2026, was removed from the Bill at the Commons committee stage on 9 July 2025, so it does not affect young people moving from DLA. The Timms Review of PIP arose from a parliamentary debate during the passage of the Universal Credit Act in July 2025, when planned government changes to PIP eligibility did not have the support of Parliament. Its interim report, published on 9 July 2026, does not make recommendations. The final report with recommendations goes to the Secretary of State in the autumn. In September 2026 the review shared emerging recommendations, which it says are not final recommendations but a starting point to test, challenge and improve.
No. Your child will get a letter inviting them to apply for PIP. It is sent shortly after their 16th birthday, or at the other times GOV.UK lists for hospital stays and special rules awards. Their DLA stops unless they apply for PIP by the date in the letter. If they apply by that date, DLA continues until their claim is assessed.
Will my child get the same money on PIP as on DLA?
Not necessarily. PIP is a separate claim, scored on daily living and mobility activities, and each part needs at least 8 points for the standard rate and 12 for the enhanced rate.
Is there a DLA to PIP timetable for 2026?
GOV.UK says DWP will invite adults born after 8 April 1948 to apply for PIP, and that you do not need to do anything until DWP writes to you about your DLA unless your circumstances change. DWP's PIP statistics to July 2026 say that new invitations to claim PIP for working age DLA claimants are not currently being sent out.
Know Your Rights UK. "DLA to PIP in 2026: Turning 16 and Adults Moving Over." Know Your Rights UK, https://www.knowyourrightsuk.com/benefits/pip/dla-to-pip