If you already get Disability Living Allowance for your child, you do not need to apply for Child Disability Payment and will be transferred over in due course. Those who have never made a claim for a disability payment can put in a new application for Child Disability Payment.
Age rules for claiming Child Disability Payment
| Age | Component |
| 3 months old – 16 years old | Care component |
| 5 years old – 16 years old | Lower rate mobility component |
| 3 years old -16 years old | Higher rate mobility component |
| Exceptions for terminally ill children | Care component from birth, Mobility component 3 years old + |
| Thirteen weeks before the child turns 16, the child can apply to Adult Disability Payment, or they can choose to stay on Child Disability Payment until they are 18. Find out more about moving from Child Disability Payment to Adult Disability Payment. | |
Payment components and rates
| Care component | Rate paid | Needs |
| lowest | £28.70 | needs attention from someone, for a significant part of the day, in connection with their bodily functions due to a physical or mental disability is 16 or older and, due to a mental or physical disability, is unable to prepare a cooked main meal for themselves |
| middle | £72.65 | needs frequent attention from someone during the day, or prolonged or repeated attention at night, in connection with their bodily functions due to a physical or mental disability needs continual supervision during the day, or another person to be awake for a prolonged period or at frequent intervals at night, to avoid substantial danger to themselves or others gets renal dialysis treatment, during the day or at night, at least twice a week |
| highest | £108.55 | needs frequent attention from someone during the day, and prolonged or repeated attention at night, in connection with their bodily functions due to a physical or mental disability needs continual supervision during the day, and another person to be awake for a prolonged period or at frequent intervals at night, to avoid substantial danger to themselves or others gets renal dialysis treatment, during the day and at night, at least twice a week is terminally ill |
| Mobility component | ||
| lower | £28.70 | can walk, with or without equipment, but most of the time needs guidance or supervision from another person to move around outdoors |
| higher | £75.75 | cannot walk, or is virtually unable to move around outdoors due to their disability has a severe visual disability or is blind and deaf has a severe mental health disability has severe behavioural difficulties, due to a severe mental health disability, and needs supervision during the day and at night to avoid substantial danger to themselves or others would experience a serious deterioration in their health from the exertion of walking is terminally ill |
If you get the highest rate of the care component, you’ll also get Child Winter Heating Payment.
If the child gets the higher rate mobility component, you can apply to lease an accessible vehicle.
You can apply for Child Disability Payment either by phone or online.
To apply online you will require a mygov.scot account. An application can be made here. You will have 2 weeks to complete part 1 and a further 6 weeks to complete part 2.
To apply by phone call Social Security Scotland free on 0800 182 2222 (8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday), you will complete part 1 over the phone and part 2 will be sent in paper form. You will have 6 weeks to return the completed application.
| Helpful information to have to hand for: | |
| Part 1 | Part 2 |
| The child’s and your personal details, such as date of birth and main address your National Insurance number – you can find this on your National Insurance card, a social security letter, payslip, P60 or P45 your bank, building society or credit union account details | any conditions and sensory issues the child has what help, support or care the child needs during the day or at night what help or support the child needs at other times during the day, including when they’re not with you the support the child needs to safely move around outdoors any treatment or therapies the child gets any equipment the child uses or any changes made to their home any medication the child takes |
Part two asks about care and mobility and any difficulties the child may have completing them. Do not worry if you think you have added some information in the wrong place, or repeated yourself.
Remember you have 6 weeks to complete part 2 and can always ask for an extension if you need one.
You can find the questions you will be asked here. They’re for reference only and you should not use them to make an application. The questions in here will be useful if you want to keep a diary as suggested in our hints and tips page.
When looking at the questions you should consider your child’s physical ability to do the activities but also explain any:
- emotional difficulties
- behavioural difficulties
- mental difficulties
- developmental difficulties
- learning difficulties
Remember our Financial Wellbeing Officer is here to help with any questions and can even come out to help you fill in the form.
Supporting information
If you have any letters from your GP, specialist or nurse regarding your condition you can send this in with your application.
This can be either:
- a care plan, Individual Education Plan, letter from the school nurse, or school report that mentions the difficulties the child is having in class
- prescription, letter from a nurse detailing home medication and how to administer, a letter from the psychologist if there has been any needle phobia with ways to lessen this, a physiotherapy report, an occupational therapist assessment with suggestions for adaptations around the house
As the child’s care giver, you can also provide a letter detailing the help and support you give, or, if you prefer you can have a phone conversation with Social Security Scotland about this.
If you are awaiting letters do not delay in sending back your application and send the letters separately to Social Security Scotland as soon as possible.
Find out more about supporting information and how to send it to Social Security Scotland.
If you want to apply in a language that’s not English
Contact Social Security Scotland to apply over the phone – you can do this in over 100 languages with an interpreter they’ll provide.
There are no costs for you to apply in a language that’s not English.
The online and paper application forms are only in English.
Identity checks
After Social Security Scotland receive your application, you may be asked to verify your identity, this could be in a face-to-face meeting, over the phone or virtually.
It may be a quick call to answer a few questions, or you may be asked to provide photographic ID and proof of address.
Photographic ID can be:
- Passport
- European Economic Area (EEA) National Identity Card
- UK provisional driving licence
- UK or EEA full driving licence
- UK Identity Card with “pass” logo
- Biometric Residence Permit
- Armed Forces Card
Proof of address can be:
- bank statement
- council tax statement or bill
- utility bill
- leasing agreement for a vehicle
- NHS appointment letter
- payslip
- mobile phone contract (from a defined list of major suppliers and not Pay As You Go)
- residential property rental/purchase agreement
- credit card bill
- mortgage statement
- local account
- student loan account
Please note, these cannot be an online copy or PDF and must be dated within the last 6 months.
If you do not have photographic ID, Social Security Scotland will advise you of other forms of ID they can accept.
If anything changes
You must tell Social Security Scotland if:
- anything changes that affects the child’s disability or their care and mobility needs
- the child moves house
- you need to update your payment details
Find out more about telling Social Security Scotland if anything changes.
Decision
Social Security Scotland will send a letter with the decision to either:
- the parent or guardian
- someone appointed to act on the child’s behalf
- the child if they’re 16 or over and managing their own payments
This letter is called a notice of determination.
Social Security Scotland aim to make a decision after getting:
- your completed application
- all the information they need to make a decision
If you have questions or do not agree with the decision
If you feel confident to ask Social Security Scotland to look at the award again, you can fill in the form that comes with your award letter or call them on 0800 182 2222.
If you would prefer to have support with this, please do contact our Financial Wellbeing Officer who is happy to help.
If the child is terminally ill
If you’re applying for a child who is terminally ill, here is only 1 part to make the process faster. If the child has a terminal illness, they aim to decide within 7 working days.
Find out more about applying when a child is terminally ill.