Disability benefits and entitlements for children

Disability Living Allowance is for children living in England, Wales or Northern Ireland. For children living in Scotland you’ll need to claim the Child Disability Payment (CDP) instead. It is a regular payment to help with the extra costs of daily living or getting about because your child has a long-term health condition or disability. 

It isn’t means-tested. 

This means you might be able to claim the benefit for your child regardless of your income or how much you have in savings.

• children aged under 16 years who need extra help with daily living tasks, or
• children aged under 16 years who need help with mobility (getting about).

Your child will need to apply for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) when they turn 16.

They will receive a letter from the DWP inviting them to apply for PIP. If they apply by the deadline date in the letter, they will continue to receive DLA until their PIP claim is assessed.

Find out more about Personal Independence Payment

Child Disability Payment (CDP) is a regular payment to help with the extra costs of daily living or getting about because your child has a long-term health condition or disability. Your child’s disability can be mental or physical.

 It isn’t means-tested. 

This means you might able to claim the benefit for your child regardless of your income or how much you have in savings.

• children aged under 16 years who need extra help with daily living tasks, or

• children aged under 16 years who need help with mobility (getting about).

For the 2025/26 tax year, you could get between £29.20 and £187.45 a week, depending on your child’s needs.

Claim online on mygov.scot

Social Security Scotland (the equivalent to the DWP in Scotland) will continue to pay Child Disability Payment until your child is 18.

However, just before they turn 16 until they turn 18, they can choose to apply for Adult Disability Payment (ADP) instead as they might receive more on ADP than CDP. You should seek advice before claiming ADP early.

Find out more about moving from CDP to ADP on mygov.scot.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in England, Wales or Northern Ireland, or Adult Disability Payment (ADP) in Scotland, is a payment that helps with the extra costs of being disabled or having a long-term health condition. It isn’t means-tested.

This means you might be able to claim the benefit for your child when they turn 16, regardless of your income or how much you have in savings.

People aged over 16 and under State Pension age who need help with daily living tasks or mobility (getting around).

If your child is aged 16 or over and you’re making a new claim for help with the extra costs of disability, you’ll need to claim Personal Independence Payment. If you live in Scotland you’ll need to claim Adult Disability Payment for your child. Find out more about Adult Disability Payment on mygovscot.uk.

If your child is already getting Disability Living Allowance, you’ll be invited to make a new claim for Personal Independence Payment when they reach age 16. The process for moving from Child Disability Payment to Adult Disability Payment in Scotland is described in the section above about Child Disability Payment

It’s for the person responsible for paying Council Tax (or Rates in Northern Ireland). More of your bill might be covered if a child in your household has a disability or long-term health condition.

Council Tax Reduction schemes are run by local councils in England, Wales and Scotland.

You don’t need to apply for this. If you qualify for a Cold Weather Payment, you’ll be paid it automatically after the temperature in your area has dropped below 0°C for seven consecutive days or more.

If you need extra support, you will need to make a claim for the child element of Universal Credit. How much you get will depend on your household income. You may also be able to claim the disabled child addition.

Depending on your child’s condition and the support they need, you could get from £158.76 to £495.87 a month (2025/26) as part of your Universal Credit payment.

The Blue Badge scheme helps those with severe mobility problems who have difficulty using public transport to park close to where they need to go. Charges and entitlement rules for the Blue Badge scheme vary across the UK.

Apply for a Blue Badge online on GOV.UK or contact your local council.

You get it if you’re spending at least 35 hours a week caring for a child who gets the middle or higher rate care component of Disability Living Allowance or the daily living component of PIP if they’re aged over 16.

If you’re on a low income and looking after a severely disabled person for at least 35 hours a week, you can apply for the carer’s element of Universal Credit.

If you’re already getting Carer’s Allowance this will be counted as part of your income when working out how much Universal Credit you’re entitled to.

If you live in Scotland, you must apply for Carer Support Payment instead of Carer’s Allowance. This is paid at a standard rate of £83.30 (2025/26) per week.

Find out more about applying for Carer Support Payment on [mygov.scot]

Carers in Scotland also get two supplementary payments, usually in June and December. In 2025/26 these payments will be £293.50 each.

Disability benefits are there to help you.

But working out if your child qualifies, and filling in the forms, can be complicated.

Are you claiming Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment for your child? Then they’ll usually need to be medically assessed as part of the claim process.

To get free expert help and advice, call these helplines to speak to an adviser.

• DWP’s Disability Benefits Helpline: 0800 121 4600 or visit the Disability Service Centre site
• Call Contact’s Family Helpline: 0808 808 3555 or visit the Contact charity site
• Enter your postcode on Citizens Advice to find your local bureau