On this page you will find information about:
- Receiving Disability Living Allowance.
- Eligibility criteria for Disability Living Allowance in the UK and overseas.
- Information and advice on other benefits.
Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is available in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales and some overseas territories. However, the eligibility criteria and what you could receive can vary by UK nation.
England and Wales
In England and Wales, Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is a benefit for children under 16 years old who need extra looking after or have walking difficulties. The payment can help with the extra costs of living.
New claims for DLA can only be made on behalf of children under 16.
If you are an adult who previously received DLA
Adults were previously able to make a claim for DLA but the eligibility criteria have now changed. If you already receive DLA, your claim might end. If it does you will get a letter from the government telling you when this will happen and how you can apply for PIP or Adult Disability Payment.
Read about Disability Living Allowance on GOV.UK.
Find out more about the eligibility criteria for DLA on GOV.UK.
If you were born on or before 8th April, 1948, you’ll continue to get DLA as long as you’re eligible for it.
If you were born after 8th April, 1948, your DLA will end. You’ll get a letter telling you when that will happen.
You’ll continue to get DLA until that date.
Eligibility
To be eligible for DLA the child must:
- be under 16 years old
- need extra looking after or have walking difficulties
- be living in England or Wales or be eligible to claim from overseas.
You can make a claim from overseas if you live in certain territories, the child lives with a parent who is serving in the Armed Forces, or the child is overseas receiving medical treatment.
If you are returning from overseas, there are certain requirements for how long the child must have lived in England or Wales before they are eligible to make a claim. However, if the child lives with a parent who is serving in the Armed Forces, they can become eligible sooner.
Making a claim
New claims can only be made on behalf of children under 16 years old. You can make a claim as a parent, step-parent, guardian, grandparent, foster parent or older sibling.
Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland, you can make a claim for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for a child under 16 years old who has difficulty walking or needs more looking after than a child of the same age who doesn’t have a disability.
If you are an adult who previously received DLA
Personal Independence Payment replaced DLA for those between 16 and state pension age in Northern Ireland. If you are an adult who already gets DLA you will continue to receive your payment until the Department for Communities (DfC) writes to tell you when your DLA will end and invites you to apply for PIP.
Find out more about DLA for aults in Northern Ireland on the nidirect website.
Find out more about Personal Independence Payment here on the RBL website.
Eligibility
To be eligible for DLA, the child must:
- be under 16 years old
- need extra looking after or have difficulty walking
- be habitually resident in Northern Ireland
- be in Northern Ireland when they make their claim
- have been in Northern Ireland, Great Britain, the Isle of Man, Jersey or Guernsey for at least six of the last 12 months, if over three years old, and
- not be under immigration control.
If you are living in or coming from an EEA country or Switzerland you may still be able to make a claim.
Find out more about making a claim from overseas on the nidirect website.
If you are returning to Northern Ireland from overseas you may need to be living in the country for a certain amount of time before you are eligible to claim DLA.
Making a claim
New claims can only be made on behalf of children under 16 years old. You can make a claim as a parent, step-parent, guardian, grandparent, foster-parent or older sibling.
Find out more about making a claim for DLA on the nidirect website.
Once you have submitted your claim, it normally takes 30 days for the Disability and Carers Service to process the claim.
If the claim has been submitted with the special rules for end of life, it will be processed more quickly.
Appealing a decision
If you disagree with the decision that is made, you can appeal it by asking for a 'mandatory reconsideration'
Learn more about appealing a benefits decision on the nidirect website.
Scotland
Child Disability Payment (CDP) is the equivalent of DLA in Scotland.
CDP is financial support to help with the cost of a child living with a long-term physical or mental disability.
You do not need a diagnosis to apply.
If you were a adult already receiving DLA
Starting in spring 2025, people who were already receiving Disability Living Allowance (DLA) in Scotland were moved to a new benefit called Scottish Adult DLA.
Eligibility
The child may be eligible for CDP if the child:
- is under 16
- lives in Scotland
- living with a physical or mental disability, if they do not have an official diagnosis.
If the child does not have a diagnosis, you can tell Social Security Scotland about how they are affected and the symptoms they have.
Learn more about Child Disability Payment on the mygov.scot website.
Making a claim
You can apply for CDP online or by phone and paper.
If you are applying for a child who is terminally ill there is a shorter process to make the application quicker.
Find out more about how to apply online on the mygov.scot website.
After you have applied, Social Security Scotland may get in touch with you if they need more information.
Appealing a decision
If you disagree with the decision that has been made, you can make an appeal.
Learn more about appealing a decision on the mygov.scot website.
Accessing support if you are overseas
If you are living overseas you may still be able to claim Disability Living Allowance or Child Disability Payment if you meet the eligibility criteria.
Disability Living Allowance
If you are overseas, you may qualify for DLA for children if the child meets the following eligibility criteria:
- Be under 16 - anyone over 16 must apply for Personal Independence Payment (PIP).
- Need extra looking after or have walking difficulties.
- Be in EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein - there are some exceptions, such as if the child lives with a parent who is aerving in 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.
There are some exceptions to these conditions if the child is living in or coming from an EEA country or Switzerland.
Child Disability Payment
If you are overseas, you may qualify for DLA for children if the child meets both of the following eligibility criteria:
- lives in the EEA, Switzerland or Gibraltar
- has a genuine and sufficient link to Scotland
A genuine and sufficient link is where you do not live in Scotland, but have a link to Scotland. For example, you or an immediate family member have spent a significant part of their life in Scotland.
Social Security Scotland will also need
to make sure that the UK is the competent state to pay the child’s benefits.
Learn more about eligibility criteria for Child Disability Payment on mygov.scot.
Information and advice on other benefits
There are other benefits and services that you or the child that you take care of may be eligible for.
Read about the Royal British Legion's Benefits, Debt and Money Advice Service on the RBL website.
Learn more about benefits, loans and grants here on the RBL website.
Find out more about Disabled Facilities Grants here on the RBL website.
Read about the Royal British Legion's Independent Living Service on the RBL Knowledge Base website.
As a person in HM Armed Forces, or a family member of, you will be entitled to some in-service benefits. You can find out more about what you are eligible for on the Discover My Benefits website.
Find out more about the benefits of working in HM Armed Forces on the Discover My Benefits website.
To find out more about the support the RBL could offer you, contact us via
Telephone: 0808 802 8080
Telephone overseas: +44 (0)20 3376 8080
Calls are free
from UK landlines and main mobile networks
Email: [email protected]
