Guide · Benefits · Scotland
Child Disability Payment Scotland Guide 2026/27 -- Replacing Child DLA in Scotland
Child Disability Payment is Social Security Scotland's devolved benefit for disabled children under 16, replacing the child rate of Disability Living Allowance for families in Scotland. It uses the same care and mobility framework families will recognise from DLA, delivered with Social Security Scotland's more evidence-led, less assessment-heavy approach.
Key facts
- Administered by: Social Security Scotland, replacing child DLA in Scotland
- Age range: Under 16 (moves to Adult Disability Payment at 16)
- Components: Care (lowest/middle/highest) and mobility (lower/higher)
- Applied for by: A parent or person with parental responsibility
- Means-tested: No · Taxable: No
- Safeguard: Short-Term Assistance during a redetermination or appeal
Why Scotland has its own child disability benefit
Disability Living Allowance for children is one of the benefits devolved to the Scottish Parliament. Social Security Scotland introduced Child Disability Payment as the Scottish equivalent, and it has been the route for all new child disability benefit claims in Scotland since 2021, with existing child DLA claimants transferred across in the years since.
The care and mobility components
- Care component -- for a child who needs substantially more looking after, supervision or attention than another child of the same age without a disability, whether that is personal care, watching over them for safety, or help at night. Paid at lowest, middle or highest rate depending on the level of need.
- Mobility component -- for a child who has difficulty walking or needs substantially more guidance or supervision outdoors than another child of the same age. The lower rate can generally be claimed from age 5 and the higher rate from age 3, with an earlier route for children who are both deaf and blind or have very severe mobility needs.
Applying on a child's behalf
A parent, guardian or person with parental responsibility completes and manages the CDP application. The form focuses on how the child's condition affects their day-to-day life compared with other children the same age -- not simply on the diagnosis itself -- and evidence from teachers, health visitors, GPs or other professionals involved with the child can support the claim. Social Security Scotland aims to decide many claims from this written evidence alone, without requiring a face-to-face consultation.
The move to Adult Disability Payment at 16
Around a young person's 16th birthday, their CDP award is reviewed and they are generally moved onto Adult Disability Payment, which assesses daily living and mobility needs using an adult-focused framework rather than the child-comparison test used for CDP. Social Security Scotland contacts the family ahead of the transition, and updated evidence may be needed to support the young person's new ADP claim.
Effect on family benefits
CDP is not counted as income for Universal Credit, Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction, so receiving it does not reduce those awards -- and it can add a disabled child element or premium instead. A parent or carer providing at least 35 hours a week of care for a child who receives the CDP care component at middle or highest rate may also be able to claim Carer Support Payment or Carer's Allowance, depending on where they live.
Applying and challenging a decision
You can apply online, by phone, by post or in person at a Social Security Scotland service centre. If you disagree with the decision, you can ask for a redetermination within the time limit given, and request Short-Term Assistance if the award has been reduced or stopped while that redetermination is considered. If the disagreement is not resolved, you can appeal to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland, Social Security Chamber.