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Disability Living Allowance - rates and how to claim

Disability Living Allowance is paid at different rates depending on how your disability affects you. There are several ways you can get a claim pack (information below). You can also claim online.

Disability Living Allowance rates

Disability Living Allowance is in two parts - the care component and the mobility component. You may be able to get just one component or both.

Care component Weekly rates
Highest Rate £79.15
Middle Rate £53.00
Lowest Rate £21.00

Mobility component Weekly rate
Higher Rate £55.25
Lower Rate £21.00

Your individual circumstances will affect how much you can get. The claim pack gives some examples of different levels of care and mobility needs.

How to claim

Claim straight away - if you delay you may lose benefit.

You can get a claim pack by:

  • phoning Disability and Carers Service
  • phoning the Benefit Enquiry Line
  • contacting your local Social Security/Jobs and Benefits office
  • download a form from this website

There are two forms - one if you're claiming for someone aged 16 or over and another if you're claiming for someone aged under 16. You can also claim online.

Call the Benefit Enquiry Line

This is a confidential freephone service for people with disabilities and carers which provides advice and information on Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Carer's Allowance and Carer's Credit.

  • phone: 0800 220 674
  • textphone: 0800 243 787

An answer phone service is available 24 hours a day where you can leave a message. You will be called back between 9.00 am and 5.00 pm, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, and from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm on Thursday.

You can call and ask to be sent a claim pack.

The enquiry line can also arrange for someone to help you fill out the claim form if required.

If you request a claim pack, the date of your phone call will be treated as your date of claim from which Disability Living 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.

The person taking your call will not have your personal papers, but will be able to give you general advice. This advice must not be taken as a decision about your claim.

Contact your local Social Security/Jobs and Benefits office

If you request a form from your local Social Security/Jobs and Benefits office, the date of request will be treated as your date of claim from which Disability Living Allowance can be paid, as long as the form you receive is returned within six weeks of that date. If you delay making a claim, you may lose out on benefit.

Once you have made your claim

Once you have made your claim, you can get advice on Disability Living Allowance from the Disability and Carers Service.

It will usually take around 37 working days to deal with a new claim, unless the claim is made under the special rules, in which case it will be dealt with much more quickly.

Effect on other benefits and entitlements

If your claim for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is successful, you may get extra money paid with your:

  • income-based Jobseeker's Allowance
  • Income Support
  • Employment and Support Allowance
  • Pension Credit
  • Housing Benefit
  • Working Tax Credit
  • Child Tax Credit

If someone is paid Carer's Allowance for providing care to you, you may not be able to receive an extra amount for severe disability in any of these benefits or credits.

This information plus advice about Carer's Allowance can be found in a leaflet which can be downloaded from the link below. You can print it out and give it to your carer, if you have one.

For more information, you should contact the office dealing with your claim for the benefit or credit concerned or contact the Disability and Carers Service.

If you think a decision about your benefit claim is wrong

If you think a decision about your benefit claim is wrong you can ask the Disability and Carers Service to explain it. You can also ask to have the decision reconsidered and, if you're still unhappy, you can, in most cases, appeal against the decision.

If you're not happy with the service you receive

If you have any comments about the way your benefit claim has been handled and the service you received, you can contact the Disability and Carers Service.

Do it online