Disability
DLA for children: the rates, the age rules and what follows an award
For a child under 16 who needs much more looking after than other children of the same age, or who has difficulty walking.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
Disability Living Allowance for children helps with the extra costs of bringing up a disabled child under 16. It has two parts. The care component pays £30.30, £76.70 or £114.60 a week in 2026/27, depending on how much more looking after the child needs than another child of the same age. The mobility component pays £30.30 at the lower rate, available from age 5, or £80.00 at the higher rate, available from age 3. The most a child can receive is £194.60 a week. The difficulties must have lasted 3 months and be expected to last at least 6 more. DLA is tax-free, ignores the parents’ income and savings, and is paid every 4 weeks, usually on a Tuesday. A claim cannot be backdated, so send the form early. The middle or highest care rate also lets a parent caring 35 hours a week claim Carer’s Allowance. In Scotland, the equivalent is Child Disability Payment.
DLA for your child in 2026/27
Every 4 weeks
£626.80
| Care component a week | £76.70 |
| Mobility component a week | £80.00 |
| A year | £8,148 |
| Parent can claim Carer’s Allowance | Yes, if caring 35 hours a week |
The five rates in 2026/27
| Component | Rate | A week | Every 4 weeks | Typical need (GOV.UK) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Care | Lowest | £30.30 | £121.20 | Help for some of the day |
| Care | Middle | £76.70 | £306.80 | Frequent help or continual supervision by day, supervision at night, or help during dialysis |
| Care | Highest | £114.60 | £458.40 | Help or supervision day and night, or nearing the end of life |
| Mobility | Lower (age 5+) | £30.30 | £121.20 | Can walk but needs help or supervision outdoors |
| Mobility | Higher (age 3+) | £80.00 | £320.00 | Cannot walk, or only a short distance without severe discomfort, or blind or severely sight impaired |
The figures come from the DWP rates table, up from £29.20, £73.90 and £110.40 for care and £29.20 and £77.05 for mobility in 2025/26. GOV.UK’s page on the end-of-life rules still shows an older weekly figure for the highest care rate; the amount actually paid is the £114.60 above.
Compared with a child of the same age
Every baby and toddler needs constant care, so the question for DLA is always the extra: does your child need much more looking after than another child of the same age without a disability? A five-year-old who still needs nappies changed through the night, a nine-year-old with diabetes whose blood sugar has to be checked overnight, or a seven-year-old with autism who has no sense of danger near roads may all need far more than their age group. The DWP looks at attention with bodily functions (washing, dressing, eating, toileting, taking medicine) and at the supervision needed to keep the child and others safe. Diaries, letters from the school’s special needs coordinator, a health visitor or a consultant carry more weight than a diagnosis on its own.
The mobility age limits in practice
Mobility is where children are most often turned down simply for being too young. GOV.UK sets the limits: the higher rate from 3, the lower rate from 5. Take a girl of four with cerebral palsy who cannot walk, on the middle care rate. With the higher mobility rate her DLA is £156.70 a week, or £626.80 every four weeks. Her twin brother has autism, can walk but runs into roads and needs guiding outdoors: he fits the lower mobility rate, but at four he cannot have it, so he receives £76.70 until his fifth birthday. The DWP should send a claim pack 6 months before a child turns 3 and 5; if none arrives, ask the Disability Service Centre for one.
Residence: how long the child must have lived here
Children who have recently arrived need a minimum period in England, Scotland or Wales, and must live in England or Wales on the day of the claim.
| Child’s age | Time already spent in Great Britain |
|---|---|
| Under 6 months | At least 13 weeks |
| 6 months to 3 years | At least 26 of the last 156 weeks |
| Over 3 years | At least 6 of the last 12 months |
A child who is nearing the end of life, lives with a parent in the armed forces, or is returning from the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein under the withdrawal agreement may qualify sooner. Children who are not British citizens also need the right to claim public funds.
Making the claim
A parent, or someone who looks after the child as a parent would (a step-parent, guardian, grandparent, foster parent or older sibling), makes the claim. GOV.UK offers two routes in England and Wales: print the DLA claim form, or ring the DLA helpline on 0800 121 4600 for a printed pack. Because the claim cannot be backdated, phoning first is worth it: the claim then starts on the day of the call, provided the pack goes back within 6 weeks. You should get a letter confirming the application within 3 weeks, and a later decision letter giving the first payment date. If you disagree, ask for mandatory reconsideration within 1 month.
What an award opens for the family
- With the middle or highest care rate, a parent caring 35 hours a week or more can claim Carer’s Allowance of £86.45 a week, or the Universal Credit carer element.
- Universal Credit adds £164.79 a month for a disabled child, or £514.71 with the highest care rate, according to GOV.UK, and gives the family a work allowance.
- DLA paid to any child under 18 in the household exempts it from the benefit cap.
- A parent caring 20 hours a week or more for a child on the middle or highest care rate, but not entitled to Carer’s Allowance, can apply for Carer’s Credit to protect their State Pension record.
At 16, and in Scotland
DLA for children ends at 16. Shortly after the birthday the DWP invites the young person to claim PIP; if they claim by the date in the letter, DLA continues until PIP is decided, and if not, it stops. PIP eligibility explains the adult test. In Scotland, Social Security Scotland pays Child Disability Payment instead, at the same rates, with the care component available from 3 months old and the award usually able to run until 18. A child on DLA who moves to Scotland keeps it for up to 13 weeks while the family applies for Child Disability Payment.