DLA for children
Disability Living Allowance is the disability benefit for children under 16. It has both a care component and a mobility component, and the rules are written to account for what children need at different ages — which is why a child can qualify on needs that would not qualify an adult.
On this page
The 2026/27 rates
DLA has two components, and they are awarded separately. A child can receive either, or both.
Care component
| Rate | Weekly | Test |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest | £29.20 | You need attention or supervision for a significant part of the day, or you cannot prepare a cooked meal for yourself if you are over 16 — this limb does not apply to children. |
| Middle | £76.70 | You need frequent attention throughout the day with bodily functions, or continual supervision to avoid substantial danger, or you are over 16 and cannot prepare a main meal. |
| Highest | £114.60 | You need attention or supervision both day and night, or a medical professional has said you are terminally ill. |
Mobility component
| Rate | Weekly | Test |
|---|---|---|
| Lower | £30.30 | You can walk but need someone with you to guide or supervise you outdoors on unfamiliar routes, because of a physical or mental condition. Also applies where you are over 5 and cannot use public transport without help. |
| Higher | £80.00 | You are unable to walk, or virtually unable to walk. Also applies where you are blind or severely sight impaired, or where you are 3 or over and have no legs or feet, or are unable to walk at all. |
Age thresholds matter. The mobility component cannot be claimed for a child under 3, and the lower rate normally starts at age 5. The care component has no lower age limit — a baby can qualify — but the test is adjusted so that the level of care needed is compared with what a child of that age would ordinarily need. This is the "reasonable child" principle, and it is decisive in most claims for young children.
The supervision test and children
For children, the supervision test is often the strongest limb, and it is frequently missed by applicants who focus only on physical help.
- A child who cannot be left alone safely because of behaviour, or who needs watching to prevent injury, may qualify for the middle rate.
- Where a child needs supervision both awake and asleep — for example a child who wakes at night and cannot be left, or who requires monitoring — the highest rate may apply.
- For children with autism, ADHD, or learning disabilities, the qualifying need is often supervision and prompting rather than physical assistance with washing and dressing.
- For children with epilepsy, diabetes or severe asthma, night-time supervision as well as day-time attention is a common basis for the highest rate.
Why more children qualify than adults. Adult disability benefits ask what you cannot do compared with a healthy adult. DLA for children asks what care the child needs beyond what a child of that age would normally need. A four-year-old needing help to dress is normal. A four-year-old needing 40 minutes of prompting, two changes of clothes and physical assistance is not — and that excess is what counts. Always compare your child with a child of the same age, not with an adult.
Award rates reflect this. Roughly half of DLA claims for children succeed, against under half of PIP claims for adults.
How to claim
- Get the form from GOV.UKClaim using form DLA1, available by post or by phone request, or claim online in some cases. There is no short online process — expect a long form.
- Keep a diary for a week before completing itNote when you are woken, how long each task takes, how many times a day you provide help, and what happens if you do not. Specific detail is what decides these claims.
- Complete it with a comparator in mindFor each answer, ask: would a child of the same age without this condition need this help? Only the excess counts, but the excess can be substantial.
- Send supporting evidenceA letter from a paediatrician, health visitor, school SENCO, speech and language therapist or occupational therapist is valuable. A statement of special educational needs, or an education health and care plan, is strong evidence.
- Claim immediately if the child is terminally illSpecial Rules apply, the claim is fast-tracked, and the highest rate of care component is paid. Ask for form SR1 rather than the standard form.
- Review datesAwards for children are usually given for a fixed period, often three years, because children's needs change. Diarise the end date — the DWP should invite a renewal, but it does not always arrive.
What DLA for a child unlocks
- Carer's Allowance for the parent or carer, if they care 35 hours a week and earn under £204 a week.
- Universal Credit disabled child element — £164.79 a month at the lower rate, £514.71 at the higher rate.
- Carer element in UC where a parent claims Carer's Allowance or has underlying entitlement — worth £209.34 a month.
- Blue Badge where the higher rate mobility component is awarded.
- Disabled person's bus pass and, in some areas, free or reduced travel for the child.
- Extra support at school — DLA is often used as evidence in SEN processes.
- Help with NHS costs for the child.
Do not understate the position to make it sound more manageable. Parents routinely write "manages with support" or "coping well" in the interests of looking positive. Decision makers read that as an absence of need. Describe the reality of the worst days, and the help required, without embellishment in either direction.
Applying for DLA for your child?
These claims are won on detail. We can help you complete the form properly, and handle a Mandatory Reconsideration or appeal if it is refused.
Book a consultation — £50 You may also get Carer's Allowance