Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance

What is Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance

Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is a benefit for disabled adults who live in Scotland. It’s to help with the extra costs of being disabled or having a long-term health condition.

Scottish Adult DLA is paid by Social Security Scotland. It replaces Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for adults in Scotland.

Who can get Scottish Adult DLA

To get Scottish Adult DLA, you must:

• be over 18

• already get DLA from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), and

• live in Scotland or another qualifying country.

You cannot make a new application for Scottish Adult DLA.

If you lost your entitlement, you might get your Scottish Adult DLA back within 1 year. Read more about getting your benefit back after losing Scottish Adult DLA or DLA.

You cannot get Scottish Adult DLA at the same time as:

• Adult Disability Payment

• Armed Forces Independence Payment

• Attendance Allowance

• DLA

• Pension Age Disability Payment

• Personal Independence Payment (PIP)

Moving from DLA to Scottish Adult DLA

You’ll keep getting DLA until you move to Scottish Adult DLA. That will happen between March and December 2025.

The DWP and Social Security Scotland will tell you when you’ll move from DLA to Scottish Adult DLA.

You do not have to apply, and the rate and amount of payment you get will be the same.

When your transfer starts, it should take 4 to 8 weeks to move from DLA to Scottish Adult DLA.

Find out more about moving to Scottish Adult DLA on mygov.scot.

How much is Scottish Adult DLA

Scottish Adult DLA is made up of 2 parts – a care component and a mobility component. Each component is paid at a different rate.

You might get 1 or both components, depending on your care and mobility needs.

It does not matter if you’re working. Your income and savings are not taken into account.

The care component

You can get the care component if you need increased attention or supervision.

There are 3 rates of the care component – lowest, middle and highest. The rate you get will depend on the level of care and supervision you need because of your disability or health condition.

To get the care component, you must:

• meet the conditions for at least 13 weeks, and

• be likely to continue meeting the conditions for the next 26 weeks.

You do not need to meet these conditions if you’re terminally ill.

The rules are different after you reach State Pension age. Read more about the rules for getting Scottish Adult DLA when you reach State Pension age.

Who can get the lowest rate of the care component

You might get the lowest rate if you:

• need attention with your bodily functions for a significant portion of the day - this can be once or several times during the day

• cannot make a cooked main meal if provided with the ingredients because of a mental or physical disability

Bodily functions are activities such as breathing, hearing, seeing, eating, drinking, moving around indoors, sitting, sleeping, getting in and out of bed or a chair, washing, going to the toilet, communicating and getting dressed and undressed.

Attention means close and personal care, like help to use the toilet or take medication.

The ability to cook a main meal is not a test of cooking ability. It’s a way of checking if you can complete a complex activity safely.

Who can get the middle rate of the care component

You might get the middle rate if you:

• meet 1 of the day-time conditions or 1 of the night-time conditions

• get renal dialysis at least twice a week where you need someone’s attendance or supervision - except if the treatment is provided by a hospital or takes place with the assistance or supervision of hospital staff.

Who can get the highest rate of the care component

You might get the highest rate if you:

• meet both a day-time condition and a night-time condition

• are terminally ill.

Day-time conditions

You meet a day-time condition if a mental or physical disability means that you need:

• frequent attention throughout the day in connection with your bodily functions

• continual supervision throughout the day to avoid substantial danger to yourself or other people.

Night-time conditions

You meet a night-time condition if, as a result of a mental or physical disability, you need:

• prolonged or repeated attention from another person at night in connection with your bodily functions

• another person to watch over you at night for a prolonged period or at frequent intervals, to avoid substantial danger to yourself or others.

The mobility component

You can get the mobility component if you have a disability or a long-term condition that affects your ability to move around outdoors.

You might have physical problems walking or need extra guidance or supervision.

There are 2 rates of the mobility component – lower and higher.

To get the mobility component, you must:

• meet the conditions for at least 13 weeks, and

• be likely to continue meeting the conditions for the next 26 weeks.

You do not need to meet these conditions if you’re terminally ill.

The rules are different after you reach State Pension age. Read more about the rules for getting Scottish Adult DLA when you reach State Pension age.

Who can get the lower rate of the mobility component

You might get the lower rate if you:

• can walk, and

• are so severely disabled, either physically or mentally, that you need guidance or supervision from another person most of the time when moving around outdoors in an unfamiliar place.

Who can get the higher rate of the mobility component

You might get the higher rate if:

• a physical condition means you’re unable or virtually unable to walk outdoors

• a physical condition means your health would get much worse from the effort required to walk

• you have no legs or feet, even if you use artificial limbs or other aids to walk

• you have a severe visual impairment

• you’re both blind and deaf, and unable to walk to a destination outdoors without assistance

• you have a severe mental impairment with severe behavioural difficulties and qualify for the highest rate of the care component

• you’re terminally ill.

Getting an accessible car or other vehicle

If you get the higher rate of the mobility component, you can get an accessible car or another vehicle through the Accessible Vehicle and Equipment (AVE) scheme.

If you already get a Motability vehicle because you get the higher rate of the mobility component of DLA, you’ll be able to keep the vehicle when you move to Scottish Adult DLA. Read more about changes to Motability vehicles in Scotland.

Rules about living in Scotland

To get Scottish Adult DLA, you must usually be all of the following:

• ordinarily resident in Scotland – this means you normally live in Scotland

• habitually resident in the UK, Ireland, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands

• present in the UK, Ireland, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands for 26 of the last 52 weeks

• not subject to immigration control - read more about accessing benefits and services if you’re subject to immigration control.

Get advice if you’re not sure if you can get Scottish Adult DLA because of where you live.

When Scottish Adult DLA is paid

Scottish Adult DLA is paid every 4 weeks in arrears into your bank, building society or credit union account.

If you’re terminally ill, payments are made every week in advance.

You can choose what to spend the money on. Social Security Scotland will not ask for receipts.

If you’re awarded Scottish Adult DLA, you’ll continue to get it as long as you still meet the conditions for it.

Reviews

Most people who move to Scottish Adult DLA will have indefinite awards. An indefinite award means your payment will only be reviewed if:

• you tell Social Security Scotland that something has changed

• your award letter from Social Security Scotland has a review date. This is to make sure that you continue to get the right amount of Scottish Adult DLA for your needs.

A review is a chance to discuss any changes that have happened since you applied or since your last review.

When the review is complete, Social Security Scotland will make a new decision called a determination. They’ll write to let you know the outcome of the review.

How Scottish Adult DLA affects tax and other benefits

Scottish Adult DLA is not means tested, it does not matter how much you earn or how much money you have in savings.

You will not pay tax on Scottish Adult DLA.

You might be able to get other benefits and help because you get Scottish Adult DLA.

If your circumstances change

You must tell Social Security Scotland if your circumstances change - for example, if:

• your condition gets better or worse

• the level of help and support you need changes

• you move away from Scotland.

If your condition changes after you reach State Pension age

The rules about which component you can get depend on whether your condition changed before or after you reached State Pension age. If your condition changes after you reach State Pension age, you cannot:

• newly qualify for the mobility component or the lowest rate of the care component

• increase the rate of the mobility component you get.

If your condition changed before you reached State Pension age, you can still report it after you reach State Pension age.

If you’re already getting the care component or the mobility component when you reach State Pension age, you can continue to get it at the same rate as long as you’re eligible.

If you reach State Pension age and do not already get Scottish Adult DLA, DLA, Adult Disability Payment or PIP, you can apply for Pension Age Disability Payment or Attendance Allowance.

Read more about Pension Age Disability Payment and Attendance Allowance.

If you become terminally ill

Tell Social Security Scotland straight away if you become terminally ill. It does not matter how long you’ve been ill for.

If you become terminally ill, you can get the highest rate of the care component. If you’re under State Pension age, you can also get the higher rate of the mobility component.

You can get Scottish Adult DLA even if you spend time in a hospital or a hospice.

Get advice and help to apply from an adviser at a Citizens Advice Bureau.

Getting your benefit back after losing Scottish DLA or DLA

If you lose your entitlement to Scottish Adult DLA, you might be able to get it back.

If you lose your entitlement to DLA, you might be able to get Scottish Adult DLA

You’ll get Scottish Adult DLA if you:

• need support for the same condition or conditions that your previous entitlement was based on

• give supporting information

• ask to have Scottish Adult DLA back within 1 year of losing your benefit.

Moving to Adult Disability Payment

If you were born before 8 April 1948, you can stay on Scottish Adult DLA as long as you’re eligible. You cannot apply for Adult Disability Payment.

If you were born on or after 8 April 1948 and get Scottish Adult DLA, you can decide whether to stay on that benefit or apply for Adult Disability Payment instead.

You need to check which option is best for you, because you will not be able to return to Scottish Adult DLA after you’ve been awarded Adult Disability Payment.

Get help from an adviser to decide which benefit is best for you.

Get more help

You can get more advice from a Citizens Advice Bureau.

You can get advice from the Money Talk Team at your local Citizens Advice Bureau. You can call 0800 028 1456 to be directed to your local bureau. You can find more information on the Money Talk Team website.

You can also contact Social Security Scotland.