Disability Living Allowance (DLA)

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What is it, who is it for and how can it help?

Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is extra money to help you with everyday life if you have a child under 16 who is disabled or has a health condition.

It’s very common for a parent to think they won’t be able to get Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for their child when they can. DLA isn’t just for children who are physically disabled. It can be given for a wide range of medical conditions including behavioural and mental health conditions as well as learning disabilities and developmental delay. You might be able to claim even if you wouldn’t describe your child as ‘disabled’.

Eligibility

Usually, to qualify for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children the child must:

be under 16 – anyone over 16 must apply for Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
be in England, Wales, a European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland when you claim – there are some exceptions, such as family members of the Armed Forces
have lived in Great Britain for at least 6 of the last 12 months, if over 3 years old
be habitually resident in the UK, Ireland, Isle of Man or the Channel Islands
not be subject to immigration control

You can get DLA if at least one of the following applies to your child:

they need a lot more care, attention or supervision than a child of the same age who isn’t disabled
they have difficulty walking or getting around outdoors in unfamiliar places, compared to a child of the same age who isn’t disabled

Your child must have been disabled or had the condition for at least 3 months, and you must expect it to last for 6 more. You don’t need a formal diagnosis from a doctor to apply, but this can usually help.

If your child is under 3 years old

Your earnings and other benefits

If your child has lived outside of the UK

It can be difficult to get DLA for a baby or an infant because all children of that age need a lot of care. But, you should still apply if your child needs more care, attention or supervision than a child of the same age who isn’t disabled or doesn’t have a health condition.

For example, most babies would be expected to wake during the night. But if you have to get up to give them a treatment such as an inhaler 2 or 3 times a night, then this means your child needs more care and attention than a baby who doesn’t need an inhaler.

If your child is under 3, you won’t be eligible for the ‘mobility component’ of DLA

DLA isn’t means tested, so it doesn’t matter how much you earn or how much money you might have in savings. You can claim DLA for children if you’re in or out of work. Any other benefits you might be getting won’t be affected. In fact, getting DLA could mean that:

you can get other benefits, or
you can get a higher rate of the benefits that you currently get

Your child must be in England, Scotland or Wales when you make the claim. Your child must also have lived in Great Britain for a minimum amount of time – this is known as the ‘past presence’ test. The past presence test doesn’t apply if:

you or your child is a refugee
your child is terminally ill

Great Britain is England, Wales and Scotland. It doesn’t include Northern Ireland. How long your child needs to have lived in Great Britain depends on their age:

if your child is aged 3 or older, they need to have lived in Great Britain for 6 months in the last year
if your child is aged between 6 months and 3 years, they need to have lived in Great Britain for 6 months in the last 3 years
if your child is aged 6 months or younger, they need to have lived in Great Britain for 13 weeks

How to apply and website link

To claim DLA for a child you need to be their parent or look after them as if you’re their parent. This includes step-parents, guardians, grandparents, foster-parents or older brothers or sisters. If your child currently lives in England or Wales you can apply by either:

printing off and filling in the DLA form https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disability-living-allowance-for-children-claim-form
phoning the Disability Living Allowance helpline on 0800 121 4600 and asking for a printed form

Additional information

Components – Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children is a tax-free benefit made up of 2 components (parts). The child might qualify for one or both components.

Care component

When your child turns 16

How DLA for children is paid

Care component –

the rate the child gets depends on the level of looking after they need, for example:

lowest rate – help for some of the day
middle rate – frequent help or constant supervision during the day, supervision at night or someone to help while they’re on dialysis
highest rate – help or supervision throughout both day and night, or a medical professional has said they might have 12 months or less to live

Current care component payment rates are as follows:

Lowest	£26.90
Middle	£68.10
Highest	£101.75

Mobility component –

the rate the child gets depends on the level of help they need getting about, for example:

lowest rate – they can walk but need help and or supervision when outdoors
highest rate – they cannot walk, can only walk a short distance without severe discomfort, could become very ill if they try to walk or they’re blind or severely sight impaired

Current mobility component payment rates are as follows:

Lower	£26.90
Higher	£71.00

The rate the child gets depends on the level of help they need getting about, for example:

lowest rate – they can walk but need help and or supervision when outdoors
highest rate – they cannot walk, can only walk a short distance without severe discomfort, could become very ill if they try to walk or they’re blind or severely sight impaired

There are also age limits to receiving the mobility component:

lowest rate – the child must be 5 years or over
highest rate – the child must be 3 years or over

If your child is under these ages 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’re eligible for it.

Your child will need to apply for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) when they turn 16. Your child will get a letter inviting them to apply for PIP. The letter will be sent:

shortly after their 16th birthday
when they leave hospital, if they were in hospital on their 16th birthday
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 the date given in the letter, they’ll continue to receive DLA until their claim is assessed.

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. After that you’ll continue to get paid as normal. All benefits, pensions and allowances are paid into your bank, building society or credit union account.

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