Disability Living Allowance: A Complete UK Guide for 2026/27
Disability Living Allowance (DLA) has largely been replaced by Personal Independence Payment for working-age adults, but it remains the main disability benefit for children under 16 and a small legacy group of adults still moving through the PIP transition. This pillar guide explains who can still claim, how the care and mobility components work, what happens at age 16, and how DLA compares to PIP and Attendance Allowance.
Disability Living Allowance for working-age adults has been replaced by Personal Independence Payment (PIP), and new adult claims are no longer accepted. DLA continues mainly as the disability benefit for children under 16, alongside a shrinking legacy group of adults who were already receiving it before the switch to PIP and have not yet completed reassessment, some of whom may retain DLA under specific transitional protections.
Making a New Claim
A new DLA claim can generally only be made for a child under 16 who has a long-term health condition or disability meaning they need substantially more looking after or more help getting around than another child of the same age without the condition. Working-age adults should apply for Personal Independence Payment instead, and people who develop a new care need after reaching State Pension age should look at Attendance Allowance rather than DLA.
The Two Components
DLA is made up of a care component, covering the extra help needed with personal care or supervision, and a mobility component, covering difficulty getting around. Each component has different rate levels depending on the type and severity of need, and a claimant can be awarded one or both components depending on their individual circumstances — a structure that broadly mirrors how PIP is split into a daily living component and a mobility component for adult claimants.
How DLA for Children Is Assessed
DLA claims for children are decided based on a detailed claim form describing the child's condition and the additional care or supervision needs compared with a child of the same age without the condition, supported by evidence from parents, carers, teachers, or healthcare professionals. Unlike PIP for adults, DLA for children does not usually involve a face-to-face assessment, although the DWP can request further evidence or a medical report if needed to reach a decision.
Turning 16 — Moving to PIP
When a young person receiving DLA turns 16, the DWP will normally invite them to claim Personal Independence Payment, since child DLA does not continue into adulthood. The young person, or an appointee managing their claim if they cannot do so themselves, needs to complete a new PIP application and assessment. DLA payments usually continue for a short transitional period while the PIP claim is processed, after which DLA stops and PIP takes over if the claim is successful.
Adults Already on DLA
Adults who were already receiving DLA when PIP was introduced were moved across through a phased national reassessment process. Most working-age adults have now transferred to PIP following an assessment, though a small number may still be going through reassessment, or may retain DLA under specific long-term protections that applied to particular groups, such as certain claimants above State Pension age at the time of the transition, who in some cases were allowed to remain on DLA rather than being moved to PIP.
DLA and Other Benefits
DLA itself is not means-tested and does not directly reduce Universal Credit, Child Tax Credit, or Housing Benefit. In fact, a child receiving DLA can increase a household's Universal Credit entitlement through the disabled child addition, and can passport the family towards further help, such as the disability element of Working Tax Credit where still in payment, or exemption from the Universal Credit benefit cap in some circumstances.
Is DLA Taxable
Disability Living Allowance is entirely tax-free and does not need to be declared as income on a Self Assessment tax return. It is also disregarded as income when assessing eligibility for most means-tested benefits, though as noted above it can increase entitlement to some benefits through disability-related additions.
DLA vs Attendance Allowance
DLA is aimed primarily at children under 16, with a small legacy adult caseload still transitioning to PIP, while Attendance Allowance is specifically for people who reach State Pension age with a new care need and were not already receiving DLA or PIP beforehand. Attendance Allowance only has a care-related component, with no mobility component, reflecting the different assessment approach typically applied to older claimants making a first claim later in life.
Can adults still claim Disability Living Allowance?
No, not as a new claim. Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for adults has been replaced by Personal Independence Payment (PIP), and new working-age adult claims are no longer accepted. DLA continues to exist mainly for children under 16, and a shrinking number of adults who were already receiving DLA before the switch to PIP and have not yet been reassessed, some of whom may remain on DLA under specific transitional protection rules.
Who can make a new claim for DLA today?
New claims for Disability Living Allowance can generally only be made for a child under 16 with a long-term health condition or disability that means they need more looking after or more help getting around than another child their age without the condition. Adults of working age cannot make a new DLA claim and should instead apply for Personal Independence Payment; people above State Pension age with a new care need should look at Attendance Allowance instead.
What are the two components of DLA?
DLA is made up of a care component, covering help needed with personal care or supervision, and a mobility component, covering difficulty getting around. Each component has different rate levels depending on the severity and type of need, and a claimant can be awarded one or both components depending on their circumstances, in a similar structure to how PIP is split into a daily living component and a mobility component for adults.
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What happens when a child on DLA turns 16?
When a child receiving DLA turns 16, the Department for Work and Pensions will normally invite them to claim Personal Independence Payment instead, since DLA for children ends and cannot continue into adulthood in the same form. The young person (or their appointee, if they cannot manage their own claim) needs to complete a new PIP application and assessment, and DLA payments usually continue for a short transition period while the PIP claim is processed, after which DLA stops.
What happened to adults who were already receiving DLA when PIP was introduced?
Adults who were receiving DLA when Personal Independence Payment was introduced were gradually invited to apply for PIP as part of a phased national reassessment process, known as "managed migration" for disability benefits. Most working-age adults have now been moved across to PIP following an assessment, though a small number may still be in the process of being reassessed, or may retain DLA under specific long-term protections that applied to particular groups during the transition.
How is DLA for children assessed?
DLA claims for children are decided by the Department for Work and Pensions based on a detailed claim form describing the child's condition and the extra care or supervision they need compared with a child of the same age without the condition, supported by evidence from parents, carers, teachers, or healthcare professionals. Unlike PIP for adults, DLA for children does not usually require a face-to-face assessment, though the DWP can ask for further evidence or a medical report if needed to decide the claim.
Does DLA affect other benefits like Universal Credit?
DLA itself is not means-tested and does not directly reduce Universal Credit, Child Tax Credit, or Housing Benefit. In fact, having a child who receives DLA can increase entitlement to Universal Credit through the disabled child addition, and can also passport a family towards other help, such as the disability element of Working Tax Credit for the parent, or exemption from the Universal Credit benefit cap in some circumstances.
Is DLA taxable?
No. Disability Living Allowance is entirely tax-free and does not need to be declared as income on a Self Assessment tax return. It is also disregarded as income when assessing eligibility for most means-tested benefits, though it can, as noted above, increase entitlement to some benefits through disability-related additions.
How is DLA different from Attendance Allowance?
DLA is aimed at children under 16 (with a small legacy adult caseload still transitioning to PIP), while Attendance Allowance is specifically for people who reach State Pension age with a new care need and were not already receiving DLA or PIP beforehand. Attendance Allowance only has a care-related component and no mobility component, unlike DLA and PIP, reflecting the different needs typically assessed for older claimants making a first claim later in life.
Can a child on the higher rate mobility component of DLA get a Motability car?
Yes. A child aged three or over who is awarded the higher rate mobility component of DLA can normally join the Motability Scheme, which lets the DLA mobility payment be exchanged for a leased car, powered wheelchair, or scooter. A parent or guardian usually needs to act on the child's behalf, and the award must cover enough of the remaining lease term to meet the scheme's minimum eligibility period.
What happens if a DLA claim for a child is turned down or the award seems too low?
A parent or guardian who disagrees with a DLA decision can ask the DWP for a mandatory reconsideration, providing any extra medical or care evidence that supports the child's needs, before the decision is looked at again. If the outcome of the mandatory reconsideration is still unsatisfactory, it is possible to appeal to an independent tribunal, and getting advice from a welfare rights adviser or charity beforehand can help identify what extra evidence is worth submitting.
Disclaimer: Disability Living Allowance rates, components and eligibility rules are reviewed periodically and can change. Figures and rules here reflect the general position in 2026/27. Always check the current position at gov.uk before relying on any specific detail.
