Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children

2026/27 weekly rates

• Care component: lowest £30.30 · middle £76.70 · highest £114.60
• Mobility component: lower £30.30 (from age 5) · higher £80.00 (from age 3)

A child can get one or both parts, so between £30.30 and £194.60 a week. Rates go up each April. Check GOV.UK. (Figures last checked: November 2026.) In Scotland, Child Disability Payment has replaced DLA.

Who qualifies

• Your child needs substantially more care, attention or supervision than a child of the same age without a disability, or has walking difficulties.
• They've needed this for at least 3 months and are expected to for at least another 6 months (special rules apply for terminal illness).
• Conditions that often qualify: autism, ADHD, learning disabilities, anxiety, sensory processing difficulties, epilepsy, attachment and trauma-related needs. It's the care needed that counts, not the label.

Why it matters beyond the money

• Middle or highest care rate can let you claim Carer's Allowance (£86.45 a week in 2026/27), or the carer element of Universal Credit.
• It can add a disabled child element to Universal Credit, and it can exempt you from the benefit cap.
• Higher mobility rate can qualify you for a Blue Badge and the Motability scheme.
• See our Carer's Allowance and short breaks guide.

Filling in the form (DLA1A Child)

1. Phone the DWP for a claim pack. If you return it within 6 weeks, payment can be backdated to the day you called.
2. Describe a bad day, honestly. If things vary, explain how often bad days happen.
3. Count the time. "Needs help dressing" is weak. "Needs prompting and help at every stage of dressing, 25 minutes each morning, and it often ends in a meltdown" is strong.
4. Include the night. Waking, settling, checking, medication, toileting.
5. Include supervision to keep your child safe: no sense of danger, running off, self-harm, eating non-food items.
6. Compare with other children of the same age.
7. Add evidence: the EHC plan, therapy reports and a letter from school (template below). Keep a 1-week diary.
8. Keep a copy of everything you send.

If the claim is refused or the award is too low

1. Ask for a mandatory reconsideration within 1 month of the decision letter. Explain what was missed and add new evidence.
2. If that fails, appeal to the Social Security and Child Support Tribunal (form SSCS1) within 1 month of the reconsideration notice. A large share of DLA and PIP appeals succeed.

Free help: Contact (for families with disabled children), Citizens Advice, and your council's welfare rights service.