What DLA for children actually is
DLA for children is the UK's disability benefit for under-16s. It recognises that a disabled or ill child can cost a family far more — in time, care and getting around — than raising a child without those needs, and it puts money behind that without asking about your income or savings.
Three things make it different from most benefits:
- It is not means-tested. Your income, your savings and whether you work make no difference — the test is entirely about the child's needs, not the family's money.
- It doesn't depend on National Insurance. Unlike contribution-based benefits, no work or NI record is needed — it's based purely on how much extra care or supervision the child needs and any difficulty getting about.
- It's paid on top. DLA is tax-free and can be paid alongside any other benefits — and getting it can act as a "passport" to extra help, such as a disabled child addition in Universal Credit and the right to claim Carer's Allowance.
It's made up of two components — care and mobility — and a child can be awarded one or both. DLA is usually paid every 4 weeks, on a Tuesday, straight into your bank account.
The 2026/27 rates
Rates rose with CPI inflation from 6 April 2026. The care component has three rates and the mobility component has two:
Care component
| Rate | Weekly |
|---|
| Lowest — help for some of the day | £30.30 |
| Middle — frequent help or supervision day or night | £76.70 |
| Highest — help or supervision day and night | £114.60 |
Mobility component
| Rate | Weekly |
|---|
| Lower — can walk but needs help/supervision outdoors (from age 5) | £30.30 |
| Higher — can't walk, or only a short distance, or is blind/severely sight impaired (from age 3) | £80.00 |
A child can get one or both components. At the top of both that's up to £194.60 a week — around £10,119 a year, tax-free. The amount depends entirely on the level of looking after and the level of help getting about the child needs — not on your finances.
The mobility component has age limits
The lower mobility rate starts at age 5; the higher rate starts at age 3. If your child is already getting DLA, you should be sent a claim pack about 6 months before they turn 3 and again before they turn 5, so you can add the mobility component when they become eligible. Not received one and think they qualify? Call the helpline.
Who qualifies
You can usually claim DLA for a child if all of these apply:
- The child is under 16 (over-16s claim Personal Independence Payment instead).
- The child is living in England or Wales when you claim (Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own routes — see below).
- Because of a disability or health condition, the child needs much more looking after than a child of the same age without that condition, or has difficulty getting about.
The child must usually have had these difficulties for at least 3 months and be expected to have them for at least another 6 months. The condition's label doesn't decide the award — the amount of extra help, supervision and prompting the child needs does.
There are also UK residence rules based on the child's age — broadly, a child under 6 months must have lived in Great Britain at least 13 weeks; a child aged 6 months to 3 years for at least 26 of the last 156 weeks; and a child over 3 for at least 6 of the last 12 months (different rules apply for armed-forces families, children abroad in the EU/EEA, refugees and end-of-life claims).
If your child is nearing the end of life
There are special rules for a child with a life-limiting illness: the 3-month qualifying period is waived, the highest care rate is usually awarded automatically, and the claim is fast-tracked. Your child's doctor or specialist can provide the supporting form (an SR1). Phone the DLA helpline and say you're claiming under the special rules.
Scotland and Northern Ireland — different systems
In Scotland it's Child Disability Payment, not DLA
If your child lives in
Scotland, DLA for children has been
replaced by Child Disability Payment, run by Social Security Scotland — you apply at
mygov.scot/child-disability-payment,
not to DWP. It has the same two components (care and mobility) and broadly matching rates.
Don't use the DWP DLA1 Child form if you're in Scotland.
If your child lives in Northern Ireland, there's a separate DLA for children claimed through nidirect. The DWP DLA covered on this page is for children living in England or Wales.
If your child moves from Scotland to England or Wales, Social Security Scotland will tell you when Child Disability Payment stops — apply for DLA as soon as the child moves, or your payments could be affected.
When your child turns 16
DLA for children stops at 16. Most young people are then invited to claim Personal Independence Payment (PIP) instead:
- DWP usually writes to you before the 16th birthday explaining what to do, and the child's DLA continues until the PIP claim is decided — so there's no gap in payments.
- PIP is assessed differently from children's DLA (it uses a points-based test and usually a face-to-face or telephone assessment), so the result can go up, down or stay the same.
- In Scotland, the equivalent move is from Child Disability Payment to Adult Disability Payment, both run by Social Security Scotland.
Getting a confusing letter about your child's DLA or the move to PIP? Upload it and we'll explain it in plain English.
How to claim
Claim it now — free · England & Wales
Print the DLA (Disability Living Allowance) for children claim form from GOV.UK, or call the helpline (Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm; Relay UK 18001 then 0800 121 4600) and ask for a paper form. Return it within 6 weeks to keep the earliest start date — DLA cannot be backdated. In Scotland, apply for Child Disability Payment at mygov.scot instead.
- Get the DLA1 Child claim form (see the box above) — print it from GOV.UK or phone the helpline for a posted copy. You can claim if you're the child's parent or you look after them like a parent (including step-parents, guardians, grandparents, foster carers or older siblings).
- Fill it in with real, specific detail. Describe a typical day and the worst days — how much extra help, supervision or prompting the child needs compared with other children their age, and any walking difficulties. Detail wins claims; vague answers lose them.
- Attach supporting evidence — a care plan, diagnosis or specialist letters, a school or SENCO report. You don't need to wait for a perfect bundle, but good evidence speeds things up.
- Return it within 6 weeks. Your claim starts on the date the form is received, or the date you first called (if you send it back within 6 weeks). You'll get a confirmation letter within 3 weeks, then a decision letter saying when the first payment will arrive.
Disagree with the decision? Ask for a mandatory reconsideration within one month — and free, expert help with both claims and appeals is available from Citizens Advice and the disabled-children charities listed below.
Nobody legitimate charges you to claim DLA
The DLA1 Child form is free from GOV.UK and the helpline is a free 0800 line. Free help with the form exists at Citizens Advice and charities like Contact and Family Fund. Anyone texting a "claim link", cold-calling, or offering to "get your child's DLA" for a fee is a scammer — DWP and Social Security Scotland don't work that way. Suspicious message? Run it through
our scam checker.
Free UK support
- GOV.UK — gov.uk — DLA for children. The official rules, rates and the DLA1 Child claim form.
- Disability Living Allowance helpline — 0800 121 4600, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm (Relay UK 18001 then 0800 121 4600).
- Scotland — Child Disability Payment at mygov.scot.
- Citizens Advice — free help completing the form and with mandatory reconsiderations: citizensadvice.org.uk.
- Not sure DLA is the only thing you're owed? Run our free benefits check — DLA often unlocks Carer's Allowance and UC disabled-child additions too.