Disability Living Allowance for children

What is Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children?

Child Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is the main disability benefit for children under 16 with a condition or disability. Your child could get it for a range of medical conditions, including mental health conditions and learning disabilities. The money can be spent on anything – there are no restrictions.

DLA for children has two parts, or components.

1. The care component: This is based on how much care and supervision your child needs due to their condition.
2. The mobility component: This is based on how much support your child needs walking and how hard they find it to get around unfamiliar places.

Your benefit will usually be paid every four weeks on a Tuesday. If your payment date is on a bank holiday, you’ll usually be paid before the bank holiday.

Eligibility criteria

Make sure you understand the DLA eligibility criteria before applying. And note that it’s slightly different in Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Who qualifies for DLA for children?

To qualify for DLA, your child must:

• Be under the age of 16 – anyone over 16 needs to apply for Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• Have needed extra care or have had walking difficulties for at least three months
• Be in England, Wales, a European Economic Area (EEA) country or Switzerland when you claim (exceptions include family members of the Armed Forces)
• Have lived in Great Britain for at least six of the past 12 months if over three years old
• Have their main home in the UK, Ireland, Isle of Man or the Channel Islands
• Not be subject to immigration control
  

Health and disability requirements

You can claim DLA for your child if at least one of the following applies:

• Your child needs a lot more care, attention or supervision than a child of the same age without disabilities. Care needs can include help with dressing, washing, going to the toilet and taking part in social activities.
• Your child has difficulty walking or getting around outdoors in unfamiliar places. This could include if your child has severe learning difficulties or behavioural problems.

Your child must have had these problems for at least the months and expect them to last for at least six more months.

Understanding DLA payment rates

DLA rates for children will depend on whether your child qualifies for either the care or mobility component, or both.

Care component rates

A child can get the care part of DLA from birth. The first payment will be three months after birth. The weekly rate will be one of the following:

Source: Gov.uk

Mobility component rates

Your child must be aged five and over to get the lower mobility rate. They must be aged three and over to get the higher mobility rate.

Source: Gov.uk

How to apply for DLA for your child

To complete a DLA child application, you must be the child’s parent or look after the child as if you’re the parent. This means you could be the child’s:

• Step-parent
• Guardian
• Foster parent
• Grandparent
• Older sibling

If your child might have less than 12 months to live, there are special rules in place so that DLA can be paid more quickly. You should phone the DLA helpline to start a special rules application.

Step-by-step application process

If your child lives in England or Wales, the steps below outline how to claim DLA for a child:

1. Phone the DLA helpline on 0800 121 4600 and ask for a printed claim form. You can also download the form online, but it’s better to call. Your payments will be backdated to the date you phoned, rather than the date your form is received.
2. Complete the DLA application form, providing all the necessary details.
3. Send your completed form to Disability Benefit Centre 4, Post Handling Site B, Wolverhampton, WV99 1BY.
4. Wait two weeks for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to contact you to say they’ve got your claim. If you don’t hear anything, contact the DLA helpline.
5. Wait for your DLA decision letter. This should arrive within three months.

If your child lives in Northern Ireland, you can phone the Disability and Carer’s Service for a claim form on 0800 587 0912.

If your child lives in Scotland, you’ll need to claim for Child Disability Payment instead.

Tips for a successful DLA application

To increase the chances of a successful DLA claim for your child, consider the following:

Filling out the form accurately

It’s crucial to take your time when filling in the claims form. You’ll need to provide a lot of information so do this carefully.

Read the form through first and make notes on a separate piece of paper before filling anything in. You could also speak to a benefits adviser, who can help you complete the form.

Supporting evidence

It’s sensible to keep a diary of your child’s condition for a week before you fill in the claims form. Note down your child’s difficulties, the help you provided and how long it took. This can be used as evidence to support your claim.

As well as providing details about your child’s condition, you might want to include:

• Medical reports
• Speech and language assessments
• Psychological reports
• A statement of special educational needs

Challenging a DLA decision

If your child is refused DLA or your payment is at a lower rate than expected, you can appeal the decision.

Steps to appeal

If you choose to go through the DLA process, follow the steps below:

1. Contact the DWP by phone or in writing and ask them to reconsider. This is called a ‘mandatory reconsideration’. You usually need to do this within one month of the date of your DLA decision letter.
2. If you are still not happy with the decision, fill in an appeal form.
3. You will need to include a copy of the mandatory reconsideration notice you received and explain why you think the decision is wrong. You should also state that you want an oral hearing rather than a paper hearing.
4. Send your appeal request directly to the Courts and Tribunal Service.
5. Wait for your tribunal hearing date and be prepared to state your case when the time comes.
   

Impact on other benefits

If you’re claiming DLA for children, it’s important to know how it could affect any other benefits you claim.

Effect on household benefits

Child DLA is not a taxable benefit, so it won’t count as income for any other benefits you receive. This means it won’t reduce any of the other benefits you get. Instead, you could get higher payments for:

• Child Tax Credit
• Housing Benefit
• Universal Credit

You also don’t need to worry about the benefits cap, which limits the amount of benefit payments a household can receive.

Additional entitlements due to DLA

If your child gets the middle or highest rate of the DLA care component, you might be able to claim Carer’s Allowance on top. To qualify, you will also need to:

• Earn less than £139 a week
• Spend at least 35 hours a week caring for your child

Carer’s Allowance pays out £81.90 a week.

In addition, you might be able to get:

• Help with transport or a Blue Badge
• Discounts for days out and travel

FAQs about DLA for children

When does my child’s DLA end?

Your child might get DLA continuously until they turn 16. But many children will only receive it for a fixed time, say three years.

Before this period ends, the DWP will contact you to ask you to reapply for DLA. You’ll be sent a new DLA claim pack to complete. Completing your DLA renewal forms before your current benefit ends is important. If you don’t, you might miss out on the payments in between.

What if my child’s circumstances change?

You should tell the DWP as soon as possible if your child’s condition or circumstances change. This could affect their entitlement to DLA. Notifiable changes include:

• Personal details such as name, address or doctor
• Condition changes so they need more or less care
• They’re given less than 12 months to live
• They go into hospital or a care home
• They are going abroad for more than four weeks
• They go to prison or are held in detention
• Immigration status means they are no longer a British citizen

What happens when my child turns 16?

Shortly before your child’s 16^th birthday, you should receive a letter from the DWP to say that you’ll be switched from DLA to Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

You’ll need to fill in a new form and your child will need to attend an assessment to check whether they qualify for PIP.

Summary: Navigating DLA for children

If your child has extra care or mobility needs, it’s important to check whether they could qualify for DLA for children. This could provide valuable financial support to help you look after your child.

If you’re not sure whether your child qualifies, it’s worth speaking to your nearest Citizens Advice for help.

Remember that once your child turns 16, you will need to apply for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) instead.