DLA rates 2026/27 for children

Updated 6 October 2026 · Checked against GOV.UK and the DWP benefit and pension rates for 2026 to 2027

For 2026/27, DLA for a child is paid at between £30.30 and £194.60 a week, depending on how much help the child needs. The care part has three weekly rates (£30.30, £76.70 and £114.60) and the mobility part has two (£30.30 and £80.00). These rates apply from 6 April 2026.

DLA rates for children in 2026/27

The weekly figures come from the GOV.UK rates page, DWP's benefit and pension rates for 2026 to 2027 and the law that sets them. The last column is simply the weekly rate times four, because DLA is usually paid every 4 weeks.

How the two parts add up

DLA has a care part and a mobility part. A child can get one part or both. Each part has its own rate. The smallest award is one part at £30.30 a week. The largest is the highest care rate plus the higher mobility rate: £114.60 plus £80.00 makes £194.60 a week, or £778.40 every 4 weeks.

A few examples of how the parts combine:

• middle care only: £76.70 a week
• middle care with lower mobility: £107.00 a week
• highest care with lower mobility: £144.90 a week
• highest care with higher mobility: £194.60 a week

Which rates a child may get depends on the help they need, not on their diagnosis. For a sense of where your child might fit, our free DLA rate checker gives an honest likely rate band from a few plain questions. It is a guide, not a promise: the DWP decides.

What each care rate is for

The care part is about the extra looking after your child needs. The booklet that comes with the claim form describes the rates in plain words:

• Lowest rate (£30.30): your child needs extra looking after for some of the day, which can be for as little as an hour.
• Middle rate (£76.70): your child needs extra looking after several times at short intervals right through the day, or extra supervision right through the day. At night, it covers extra looking after more than once a night or once for about 20 minutes or more. It also covers needing someone awake to watch over them several times a night or once for 20 minutes or more.
• Highest rate (£114.60): your child needs help during the day and night. A child claimed for under the special rules, because they are nearing the end of life, also gets the care part at the highest rate.

"Extra" means much more than a child of the same age who does not have a disability. Care can be claimed from birth. Normally your child must have needed the extra help for at least 3 months and be likely to need it for at least another 6 months.

Mobility rates and the age rules

The higher rate (£80.00) can be paid from age 3. It is for a child who, because of a physical disability, cannot walk at all, is virtually unable to walk outdoors without severe discomfort or could seriously affect their health through the effort of walking. It can also be paid to some children who have had both legs amputated, who are severely sight impaired or blind and meet other conditions, who are deaf and blind or who are severely mentally impaired with severe behavioural problems and get the highest care rate.

The lower rate (£30.30) can be paid from age 5. It is for a child who can walk but needs much more guidance or supervision than other children of their age to get around outdoors in places they do not know well.

If your child gets DLA before these ages, GOV.UK says you should be sent a claim pack 6 months before they turn 3 and 6 months before they turn 5. Our guide to the DLA mobility component for children explains the tests in more detail.

How and when DLA is paid

DLA is usually paid every 4 weeks on a Tuesday, normally into a bank, building society or credit union account. It is tax-free. It is not means tested either: the booklet says you can claim even if you work or your family has savings or money coming in.

DLA is paid from the start of the claim and cannot be backdated. The claim starts on the date DWP receives the form. If you phoned for a claim pack, it starts on the date you called, as long as you return the pack within 6 weeks. That is why it is worth asking for the form as soon as you think your child may qualify. Our guide on how to fill in the DLA form for a child walks through it.

Why one GOV.UK page says £108.55

If you read the GOV.UK section on children nearing the end of life, you may see the highest care rate given as £108.55 a week. That figure is out of date. £108.55 was the highest care rate for 2024/25.

For 2026/27 the highest care rate is £114.60. That is the figure on GOV.UK's own rates page, in DWP's rates table for 2026 to 2027 and in the regulations that set DLA rates. If your child is claimed for under the special rules, £114.60 a week is the current care rate.

What changed from 2025/26

Every DLA rate went up from 6 April 2026:

• highest care: £110.40 to £114.60, up £4.20 a week
• middle care: £73.90 to £76.70, up £2.80 a week
• lowest care and lower mobility: £29.20 to £30.30, up £1.10 a week
• higher mobility: £77.05 to £80.00, up £2.95 a week

The largest possible weekly award rose from £187.45 to £194.60.

Help that DLA can open the door to

Carer's Allowance. If you spend at least 35 hours a week caring for a child who gets the middle or highest care rate, you may qualify for Carer's Allowance of £86.45 a week in 2026/27. You must be 16 or over, not in full-time education and earning £204 a week or less after tax, National Insurance and expenses. The DLA booklet says to claim within 3 months of the DLA decision or you could lose money. In Scotland, carers apply for Carer Support Payment instead.

Universal Credit. If you get Universal Credit, it can include an extra monthly amount for a disabled child. The higher amount, £514.71 a month, is for a child on the highest care rate or who is blind or severely sight impaired. The lower amount, £164.79 a month, is for a child on any other rate of DLA.

If you care for your child for at least 35 hours a week and they get the middle or highest care rate, Universal Credit can also include a carer amount of £209.34 a month. GOV.UK says these extra amounts are not added automatically. You need to report the change.

Scotland and Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, DLA for children is run by the Department for Communities at the same rates. In Scotland, new claims for children are for Child Disability Payment instead of DLA. Its weekly care and mobility rates are the same figures as DLA. Our guide to DLA and Child Disability Payment in Scotland explains the differences.

Frequently asked questions