Archive Website of the UK government

Main disability and sickness benefits

Disability Living Allowance

This is a tax-free benefit for people who have a disability and need someone to help look after them or have walking difficulties. You must claim before you reach age 65.

Attendance Allowance

This is a tax-free benefit for people aged 65 or over who have a disability and need someone to help look after them.

Employment and Support Allowance

If you cannot work because of illness or disability you may be able to get Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).

Employment and Support Allowance was introduced on 27 October 2008. It replaces Incapacity Benefit and Income Support, paid because of an illness or disability.

Incapacity Benefit

Incapacity Benefit and Income Support, paid because of an illness or disability, has been replaced with Employment and Support Allowance for new claimants only.

If you already receive Incapacity Benefit, you will continue to receive it.

• Disability Living Allowance

• Employment and Support Allowance - introduction

• Disability Benefits (general money, tax and benefits section)

Employment

Work schemes

'Access to Work' is one scheme that can provide you with practical support in work. This includes paying towards:

• special equipment
• a support worker
• the additional costs of travel to work for you if you are unable to use public transport

There are a number of work schemes to help disabled people into employment.

Job Grant

You may be able to claim Job Grant when you take up full-time work. You must have been claiming certain benefits for at least 26 weeks before starting your new job; these include Incapacity Benefit and Income Support.

Standing for election - elected office programme

The access to elected office programme provides practical support to help more disabled people stand for election. The programme can also help candidates with the disability related costs of standing for election. The fund is open for application from disabled people until the end of March 2014.

• Work schemes and programmes

• Job Grant (general money, tax and benefits section)

• Help for disabled people who want to stand for election (government, citizens and rights section)

Employment - injuries and illness caused at or by work

Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit

You may be entitled to receive Industrial Injuries Benefit if you're disabled as a result of:

• an accident at work
• a disease
• deafness caused by work

Constant Attendance Allowance

If you need daily care and attention because of a disability and you claim Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit you can claim Constant Attendance Allowance.

• Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (accidents) (general money, tax and benefits section)

• Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (diseases and deafness) (general money, tax and benefits section)

• Constant Attendance Allowance (general money, tax and benefits section)

Your income - in or out of work

Working Tax Credit

If you are in work but on low pay, you can apply for Working Tax Credit to top-up your earnings. You may get extra if someone in your household is disabled.

Income Support

You can claim Income Support if you're:

• aged between 16 and 60
• on a low income
• not working or working on average less than 16 hours a week

Income Support is affected by savings.

You may qualify for the Disability Premium, the Severe Disability Premium or the Enhanced Disability Premium.

You will also automatically qualify for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit and may receive help towards health costs, such as prescriptions.

Blind person's allowance

The blind person's allowance allows you to receive an amount of income without having to pay tax. It is added to your personal tax allowance.

• Premiums for disabled people

• Income Support - how to claim and how much you can get (general money, tax and benefits section)

• Blind Person's Allowance (general money, tax and benefits section)

Families and disabled children

Child Tax Credit

Child Tax Credit is an allowance for parents and carers of children or young people who are still in full-time education. You may get extra if you care for a disabled child. See 'Expecting or bringing up children' for more information.

Disability Living Allowance

You may get Disability Living Allowance for a disabled child if they need much more looking after than other children of the same age.

Child Trust Fund - disability payments

The Child Trust Fund (CTF) is a long-term tax-free savings account for children born between 1 September 2023 and 2 January 2011. Children who qualified for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) between 6 April 2023 and 5 April 2023 got extra CTF payments. These payments stopped from 6 April 2011. See 'Child Trust Fund payments - what your child could get' to learn more about extra CTF payments to disabled children.

Sure Start Maternity Grant

This is a one-off payment to help towards the cost of a new baby if you're on a low income and receive certain other financial support. Other financial support includes: Income Support and/or Working Tax Credit where a disability element or severe disability element is included. See 'Expecting or bringing up children' for more information.

• Child Trust Fund payments - what your child could get (money, tax and benefits section)

• Expecting or bringing up children (general money, tax and benefits section)

• Sure Start Maternity Grant (general money, tax and benefits section)

Other financial help for disabled people

You can also get financial help towards your vehicle, transport, education, home, health and general living costs. See the following link to find out more.

• Other financial help for disabled people