Change of circumstances while you're getting Pension Age Disability Payment

This advice applies to Scotland. See advice for See advice for England, See advice for Northern Ireland, See advice for Wales

When to report a change of circumstances

You must tell Social Security Scotland if your circumstances change while you're getting Pension Age Disability Payment or waiting for a decision on your application. This might affect the amount of Pension Age Disability Payment you get.

You must tell Social Security Scotland if:

  • your personal or contact details change

  • your condition gets better or worse

  • the level of help and care you need changes

  • you move away from Scotland

  • you go into or leave a care home, hospital or hospice

  • you enter or leave legal detention.

You can tell Social Security Scotland about a change of circumstances:

You can also fill in a form to authorise someone to speak to Social Security Scotland on your behalf. This might be helpful if you feel unable to find the information you need or understand things about your application. You can download a third-party authorisation form on mygov.scot.

You should tell Social Security Scotland about a change within 1 month, or as soon as can reasonably be expected. For example, if a change to your condition is gradual or goes up and down, it might take longer than a month for you to notice it.

If you do not tell Social Security Scotland about a change in your circumstances, you might be overpaid or underpaid. If you're overpaid, you might be asked to pay the money back.

Find out how Social Security Scotland decides if you have to repay an overpayment.

You might also be committing a criminal offence.

Find out more about reporting a change of circumstances on mygov.scot.

Who else to tell

If your Pension Age Disability Payment stops, goes up or goes down because of a change of circumstances, you should tell whoever pays any other benefit you get, like the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

If you get Attendance Allowance

If your circumstances change, you should tell the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

If your condition or needs change

If you tell Social Security Scotland about a change in your condition or needs, they must carry out a review to see if you still meet the conditions for Pension Age Disability Payment and are getting the correct rate.

You might be asked to provide supporting information about the change to your condition. You can provide this with the change of circumstances form or send it separately.

Read more about supporting information on mygov.scot.

If you do not agree with the review decision, you can ask for this to be looked at again. This is called a ‘re-determination’. You usually need to ask within 42 days of being told about the review decision.

If you move home

You must tell Social Security Scotland if you move home.

If you move from Scotland to another part of the UK

You can get Pension Age Disability Payment for up to 13 weeks and then it will stop. This is to give you time to apply for Attendance Allowance instead.

The amount of Attendance Allowance you get might be the same as, more than or less than the amount of Pension Age Disability Payment you were getting.

You should tell Social Security Scotland that you've moved.

If you move to Scotland from another part of the UK

If you get Attendance Allowance, you need to tell:

  • the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) the date of your move if you’ve moved from England or Wales

  • the Department for Communities (DfC) the date of your move if you’ve moved from Northern Ireland.

You'll keep getting Attendance Allowance until you move over to Pension Age Disability Payment. Social Security Scotland will write to tell you when that will happen.

You will not have to apply again.

If you go into a care home

If you go into a care home funded by the local council, your Pension Age Disability Payment will go down to zero after 28 days.

Short stays in a care home that are separated by no more than 28 days will be added together. Once these short stays add up to a total of 28 days, your Pension Age Disability Payment will go down to zero while you’re in the care home.

If you leave a care home, your Pension Age Disability Payment can be paid again. You do not have to re-apply, but you need to tell Social Security Scotland that you’ve left the care home.

The days that you go into and leave a care home are not usually counted as days in a care home.

If you go into hospital

If you go into hospital for medical treatment provided by the NHS, your Pension Age Disability Payment will go down to zero after 28 days.

Short stays in hospital that are separated by no more than 28 days will be added together. Once these short stays add up to a total of 28 days, your Pension Age Disability Payment will go down to zero while you’re in hospital.

If you leave hospital, your Pension Age Disability Payment can be paid again. You do not have to re-apply, but you need to tell Social Security Scotland that you’ve left hospital.

The days that you go into and leave hospital are not usually counted as days in hospital.

If you go into a hospice

You'll still get Pension Age Disability Payment if you're terminally ill and go into a hospice, unless the hospice is an NHS hospital.

If you go into legal detention, for example custody or prison, your Pension Age Disability Payment will go down to zero after 28 days.

Periods in legal detention that are separated by no more than 1 year will be added together. Once these periods add up to a total of 28 days, your Pension Age Disability Payment will go down to zero while you’re in legal detention.

If you leave legal detention, your Pension Age Disability Payment can be paid again. You do not have to re-apply, but you need to tell Social Security Scotland that you’ve left legal detention.

The days that you go into and leave legal detention are not usually counted as days in detention.