Pillar Guide · Updated July 2026
The Disabled Facilities Grant: A Complete UK Guide for 2026/27
The Disabled Facilities Grant helps disabled people pay for essential adaptations to their home, such as a wet room, stairlift, or wider doorways, to allow them to live independently and safely. This guide explains who qualifies, how the means test works for adults, the maximum grant amount, and the application process through your local council.
What the Disabled Facilities Grant Is
The Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) is a mandatory grant, administered by local councils, that helps disabled people fund essential and reasonably practicable adaptations to their home, aimed at improving access, safety and independence, such as installing a level-access shower room, a stairlift, ramps, or widening doorways for wheelchair access.
Who Qualifies
The grant is available to disabled owner-occupiers, private and social sector tenants, and some landlords applying on behalf of a disabled tenant, provided the applicant or the person for whom the work is needed is a disabled person as defined for the purposes of the scheme, and the property is their only or main home, which they intend to live in for the foreseeable future.
The Means Test
For adults, the amount of grant awarded is subject to a means test based on the household's income and savings, similar in principle to a benefits assessment, which can result in the applicant being asked to contribute towards the cost themselves if their means are above the relevant threshold. Grants for disabled children are not means-tested, so the full grant (up to the maximum) is available regardless of household income.
Maximum Grant Amount
The maximum Disabled Facilities Grant available in England is £30,000, though the equivalent maximum differs in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and some councils supplement the mandatory grant with additional discretionary funding for cases where the assessed need exceeds the statutory maximum.
What Adaptations Are Covered
Typical adaptations funded include level-access showers and wet rooms, stairlifts, through-floor lifts, ramps and handrails, widened doorways, and adapted kitchen facilities, provided an occupational therapist assesses the adaptation as necessary and reasonably practicable given the applicant's needs and the layout of the property.
The Application Process
An application usually begins with a referral to an occupational therapist, often through adult social care or a GP, who assesses the disabled person's needs and recommends appropriate adaptations. The local council's home improvement or grants team then processes the formal DFG application, including the means test where applicable, before approving works to proceed with an approved contractor.
The Occupational Therapist's Assessment
The occupational therapist's assessment is central to the process, since the grant can only be used for adaptations formally recommended as necessary for the applicant's specific disability-related needs, rather than general home improvements the applicant might separately want, and their recommendations largely determine the scope of works the council will fund.
Other Funding Options
Where the cost of necessary works exceeds the mandatory maximum grant, or where a case falls outside the strict DFG criteria, some councils offer additional discretionary grants or loans, and charities and home improvement agencies can sometimes help fund a shortfall or coordinate the works, so it is worth asking the council's grants team about all available local options.