Disability Living Allowance
Disability Living Allowance - sometimes referred to as DLA - is a tax-free benefit for children and adults who need help with personal care or have walking difficulties because they are physically or mentally disabled.
Who can get Disability Living Allowance?
You may get Disability Living Allowance if:
- you have a physical or mental disability, or both
- your disability is severe enough for you to need help caring for yourself or you have walking difficulties, or both
- you are under 65 when you claim
If you are aged 65 or over, you may be able to get Attendance Allowance.
Special rules if you are terminally ill
If you have a progressive disease and you are not expected to live for more than another six months there are special rules for claiming to make sure you get your benefit more quickly and easily.
medical examinations
You will not usually need a medical examination when you claim for Disability Living Allowance. If you are asked to have one you can find out more from the link below.
Disability Living Allowance - medical examination
How much do you get?
Disability Living Allowance has two parts called 'components':
- a care component - if you need help looking after yourself or supervision to keep you safe
- a mobility component - if you can't walk or need help getting around
Some people will be entitled to receive just one component; others may get both.
The care component and mobility component are paid at different rates depending on how your disability affects you.
Effect on other benefits and entitlements
If you start to get Disability Living Allowance it might increase the amount of other benefits or credits you're entitled to, such as Income Support, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit, Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit.
Disability Living Allowance is normally ignored as income for working out these income-related benefits and credits.
How to claim
Claim straight away - you may lose benefit.
You can claim online by visiting the Benefits online service or get a claim pack by:
A) Calling the Benefit Enquiry Line
This is a confidential freephone service for disabled people and carers. You can call the Benefit Enquiry Line and ask them to send you a claim pack. They can send you the claim pack in an alternative format if required - for example, Braille.
They can also arrange for someone to help you fill out the form if required. Please note that the person you speak to may need to arrange for someone to phone you back.
Telephone: 0800 88 22 00
Textphone: 0800 24 33 55
You can also use the RNID Typetalk service.
The Benefit Enquiry Line is open from 8.30 am to 6.30 pm Monday to Friday and from 9.00 am to 1.00 pm on Saturday.
If you request a claim pack from the Benefit Enquiry Line, the date of your phone call will be treated as your date of claim from which Attendance Allowance can be paid, as long as you send your form back within six weeks of that date. If you delay making a claim, you may lose out on benefit.
B) Download a form to print at home
You can complete a claim form on your computer. We recommend that you save the form on your computer before completing it: to do this simply right click with your mouse on the link below and choose the 'Save Target As' option. You cannot save the form once you've opened it in an internet browser.
Once you've completed the form, you can print and sign it. Please note that the on-screen forms do not apply in Northern Ireland.
Download the Disability Living Allowance form (PDF document, 541K) 
Download the Disability Living Allowance form for people under the age of 16 (PDF document 259KB)
For further information on Attendance Allowance please visit www.direct.gov.uk
Source: www.direct.gov.uk
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