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Disabled People

Disability Living Allowance - eligibility

You may be able to get Disability Living Allowance if you are aged under 65 and you have needed help with personal care or had walking difficulties because of a physical or mental disability for three months, and you are likely to need this help or have these difficulties for at least another six months.

If you are already getting Disability Living Allowance when you reach 65, it may continue if you still have care and/or mobility needs.

If you have care needs

To get the care component of Disability Living Allowance, your disability must be severe enough for you to either:

  • need help with things such as washing, dressing, eating, getting to and using the toilet, or communicating your needs
  • need supervision to avoid you putting yourself or others in substantial danger
  • need someone with you when you are on dialysis
  • be unable to prepare a cooked main meal for yourself (if you had the ingredients), if you are aged 16 or over

There are three rates of care component depending on how your disability affects you:

  • the lowest rate, if you need help or supervision for some of the day or you are unable to prepare a cooked main meal
  • the middle rate, if you need help or supervision frequently throughout the day, or during the night, or someone with you while on dialysis
  • the highest rate, if you need help or supervision frequently throughout the day and during the night

You can get Disability Living Allowance for your care needs even if no one is actually giving you the care you need, even if you live alone.

If you have mobility needs

To get the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance, your disability must be severe enough for you to have any of the following walking difficulties, even when wearing or using an aid or equipment you normally use:

  • you are unable or virtually unable to walk, or you have no feet or legs
  • you are assessed to be both 100% disabled because of loss of eyesight and not less than 80% disabled because of deafness and you need someone with you when you are out of doors
  • you are severely mentally impaired with severe behavioural problems and qualify for the highest rate of care component
  • the effort of walking could threaten your life or seriously affect your health
  • you need guidance and/or supervision from another person when walking out of doors in unfamiliar places

There are two rates of the mobility component depending on how your disability affects you:

  • the lower rate, if you need guidance or supervision out of doors
  • the higher rate, if you have any of the other, more severe, walking difficulties

Some people will be entitled to only the care component or the mobility component, others will be entitled to both.

If you're claiming for an ill or disabled child

Your child must need a lot more help or supervision than other children of the same age.

You can claim for care needs before a child is aged three months, but benefit will not be paid before the child reaches the age of three months unless they are paid under 'special rules' (see below).

You can claim for mobility needs from:

  • age three, if your child is unable, or virtually unable, to walk
  • age three, if your child is assessed to be both 100% disabled because of loss of eyesight and not less than 80% disabled because of deafness
  • age three, if your child is severely mentally impaired with severe behavioural problems and qualifies for the highest rate of care component
  • age five, if your child needs guidance or supervision when walking out of doors

Special rules - if you are terminally ill

If you have a progressive disease and are not reasonably expected to live for more than another six months, there are special rules to help you get Disability Living Allowance more quickly and easily. You can get the highest rate of the care component immediately without waiting until you have needed help for three months.

You can make a claim for someone under the special rules without them knowing or without their permission. If they satisfy the relevant conditions, they will get a letter saying that they have been awarded Disability Living Allowance, but special rules will not be mentioned.

You can find out more about caring for someone who is terminally ill in the 'caring for someone' section.

Your residence

There are certain conditions about your residence and presence which you need to meet to get Disability Living Allowance.

Under certain circumstances, Disability Living Allowance may be paid to people who leave Great Britain to live elsewhere in the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland.

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