Disability Living Allowance for adults
Disability Living Allowance for adults has been replaced by the benefit Personal Independence Payment.
What is Disabled Living Allowance (DLA) for adults?
Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for adults was a benefit for people aged under 65 who had problems:
- walking
- moving around outdoors safely
- looking after themselves.
It is different from Disability Living Allowance for children.
DLA for adults has now been replaced by Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. If you are making a new claim and are aged between 16 and State Pension age, you must apply for PIP instead.
In Scotland, Adult Disability Payment is replacing PIP and DLA for adults.Related pages
If you live in England or Wales
If you live in England or Wales and claimed before June 2013, you may still be getting DLA for adults. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will write to you to tell you when your DLA will end. They will invite you to apply for PIP. You must apply within 4 weeks from the date on the letter.
If you have a fixed-period DLA award, you should get a letter inviting you to apply for PIP. You should get the letter 4 weeks before your DLA is due to end. If you have not had the letter, you should contact the Disability Service Centre. Call 0800 121 4600, or use textphone 0800 121 4523.
If you live in England or Wales and are still getting DLA, you will not be asked to move to PIP if you were born on, or before, 8 April 1948.
If you are getting DLA and tell the DWP that your circumstances have changed, you will have to apply for PIP. PIP will replace your DLA, even if it means you will get a lower amount.
If you live in Scotland
In Scotland, Adult Disability Payment is replacing Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Disabled Living Allowance (DLA) for adults. This change is happening between April and August 2022.
If you live in Scotland and currently get PIP or DLA for adults, you do not need to apply for Adult Disability Payment. Social Security Scotland will move you to the new benefit without you having to do anything.
The DWP will continue to pay you PIP or DLA for adults until you start getting Adult Disability Payment. You do not need to contact the DWP to stop your PIP or DLA for adults payments.
Related pages
If you live in Northern Ireland
If you live in Northern Ireland, you may still be getting DLA for adults if you claimed it before June 2016.
The Department for Communities (DfC) will write to you to tell you when your DLA will end if you are:
- already getting DLA
- aged between 16 and State Pension age.
You then need to apply for PIP.
If you have a fixed-period DLA award, you should get a letter inviting you to apply for PIP. You should get the letter 4 weeks before your DLA is due to end. If you have not had a letter, you should contact the Disability and Carers Service. Call 0800 587 0912, or use textphone 0800 012 1574.
If you move from DLA to PIP but get less money, you may be entitled to extra payments. This is called a supplementary payment. You can find out more about this at nidirect.gov.uk.
If you live in Northern Ireland and were born before 20 June 1951, you will not be asked to move to PIP.
If you are already getting DLA and are over State Pension age with a lifetime award, your DLA will continue. You will not be reassessed for PIP.
You may be able to claim Attendance Allowance instead if:
- you are over State Pension age
- you have not received DLA or PIP in the past year.
We have more information about other benefits and financial support available.
About our information
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References
Below is a sample of the sources used in our financial help and benefits information. If you would like more information about the sources we use, please contact us at cancerinformationteam@macmillan.org.uk
GOV.UK www.gov.uk (accessed January 2022).
Benefits and pension rates 2021 to 2022. www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-and-pension-rates-2021-to-2022/benefit-and-pension-rates-2021-to-2022 (accessed January 2022).
nidirect.gov.uk www.nidirect.gov.uk (accessed January 2022).
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