Personal Independence Payment
Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is a benefit for people who need help with daily activities or getting around.
Disability Living Allowance
Disability Living Allowance is a monthly, tax-free benefit for disabled people, which is gradually being replaced by Personal Independence Payment.
What is Disability Living Allowance?
Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is a monthly payment to help with care and mobility needs if you're living with a disability.
It's a tax-free, monthly payment that's paid at different rates depending on the level of help you need.
You can't make a new claim for DLA. You'll instead need to apply for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Attendance Allowance, depending on your age.
Which disability benefit should I be claiming?
If you haven’t already claimed DLA then you’ll need to find out which benefit you should claim, as there are different ones depending on your age.
- If you're over 16 but under State Pension age, claim PIP.
- If you're over State Pension age, claim Attendance Allowance.
Am I eligible for Disability Living Allowance?
You can claim DLA if:
- you were born before 8 April 1948 and are already claiming DLA
- you're claiming on behalf of a disabled person under the age of 16.
To continue to claim DLA you'll need to show that you meet the criteria for at least one of the two components – the ‘care component’ and the ‘mobility component’.
If you don't fall into one of those categories, you should make a claim for a different benefit – either Personal Independence Payment or Attendance Allowance, depending on your age.
Are you entitled to extra money?
Do you know what benefits you are entitled to? Our Benefits Calculator can help you, quickly and easily, to find out what you could be claiming.
How much Disability Living Allowance will I get?
If you're already claiming DLA and want to know how much you should be getting, here are the weekly payment rates from April 2023.
Disability Living Allowance – Care Component
You might be eligible for the care component if you require help with everyday tasks, such as cooking or dressing. You'll be assessed on the help you need rather than any help you may or may not be getting.
| Care component | Weekly rate | How much support you need |
|---|---|---|
| Highest rate | £101.75 | Constantly need help – day or night |
| Middle rate | £68.10 | Frequently need help – day or night |
| Lowest rate | £26.90 | Need help only some of the day or with cooking meals |
Disability Living Allowance – Mobility Component
You might be eligible for the mobility component if you have severe difficulties walking without assistance.
| Mobility component | Weekly rate | How much support you need |
|---|---|---|
| Higher rate | £71.00 | You're only able to walk a short way before feeling out of breath, dizzy or unsteady, or if you're not able to walk at all outdoors |
| Lower rate | £26.90 | You need help walking outdoors in places you don't know because of a physical or mental disability, such as deafness or dementia |
What happens if I already claim Disability Living Allowance?
If you’re already claiming DLA, you may be wondering about what will happen as the benefit is replaced. It all depends on your age:
- If you were born on or before 8 April 1948 you can continue to receive DLA as long as you still have care or mobility needs.
- If you were born after 8 April 1948, then you will be reassessed for PIP instead.
If you need to move over to PIP, you’ll get a letter from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) about this.
If your circumstances change
If you already claim DLA and your circumstances change you might want your award to be reassessed. What happens next depends on your age, as outlined above. If you contact the DWP to report this change, you might be asked to make a claim for PIP instead.
Once you're invited to make this switch you'll have 4 weeks to claim PIP. This process can't be reversed, and if you fail to claim it your DLA award will also be ended.
Before contacting the DWP to have your claim reassessed, it's a good idea to get independent advice to help make the best decision for you.
We're here to help
We offer support through our free advice line on 0800 678 1602. Lines are open 8am-7pm, 365 days a year. We also have specialist advisers at over 120 local °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²ÊÖ±²¥×î¿ì¿ª½±s.