How long does DLA for a child take?

Updated 6 October 2026 · Checked against GOV.UK and DWP figures published in 2026

DWP's current standard is to deal with a new DLA claim for a child within 45 working days, which is about 9 weeks. DWP's own figures show that in March 2026, 90.7% of new child claims it cleared were dealt with within that time. You should get a letter within 3 weeks confirming your application. If DLA is awarded, it is paid from the date your claim started.

What happens after you post the form

1. Acknowledgement. GOV.UK says you should get a letter within 3 weeks confirming your application.
2. The claim is looked at. DWP says it has specially trained case managers who look at the support a child needs for care and mobility. The claim form says DWP may contact your child's health professionals for more information. DWP's guidance also lets decision makers ask for a report from the GP's or hospital's records when the evidence is not enough.
3. The decision. Once a decision has been made, GOV.UK says you should get another letter telling you when your first payment is due.

The claim form itself warns that if you do not give all the information it asks for, it may delay your claim. Our guide on how to fill in the DLA form for a child goes through every question.

Your claim date and the 6-week rule

DLA cannot be backdated to when your child's difficulties began. It can be paid from the start of your claim. The claim starts on the date DWP receives the form. If you phoned the DLA helpline for a claim pack, it starts on the date you called, as long as you send the pack back within 6 weeks.

This means the time DWP takes after you post the form does not change the date DLA is paid from. A delay before you claim does. If you think your child may qualify, phone 0800 121 4600 for a claim pack and aim to return it within the 6 weeks. You can also print the form from GOV.UK on a desktop or laptop.

If you are waiting for reports, do not hold the form back. List what is missing at question 89, send what you have and send the rest later. If your form is going to be late, the checklist asks you to give the reason at question 89.

How long DWP is taking: the latest figures

DWP measures new DLA child claims against a standard of 45 working days. In May 2026 it published figures for new claims cleared between August 2025 and March 2026:

• Around 185,900 new child claims were cleared in that period. Of these, 68.3% were cleared within 45 working days.
• In August 2025, only 4.7% of the claims cleared that month were within 45 working days.
• By March 2026, that had risen to 90.7% (about 20,300 of 22,400 claims cleared that month).

Please read these with care. They are DWP management information, not official statistics. DWP says they come from its internal DLA computer system and have not been quality assured to the same standard as Official Statistics.

DWP's Annual Report and Accounts for 2025 to 2026 tells a similar story. It says DWP added case managers to the teams handling children's claims. It says the time taken to decide new claims fell from a peak of 97 days at the end of 2024 to 31 days by early 2026. The report does not say whether these are working days or calendar days. It adds that since the week starting 16 March 2026, performance has been at or above its 90% target in almost all weeks.

What this means for you: in early 2026 most new claims were being dealt with within the standard, but not all of them. Your child's claim may be quicker or slower.

Faster claims under the special rules

If your child has a progressive illness and is not expected to live longer than another 12 months, you can claim under the special rules by answering yes at question 1. The booklet says these claims are dealt with more quickly. The care part is paid at the highest rate and payment starts straight away unless the child is in a residential care home, boarding school or similar place.

Ask the child's doctor or specialist for an SR1 form, which is free. If you do not have it by the time the claim form is ready, send the claim form anyway. The booklet warns that waiting could delay the child's payments.

Northern Ireland and Scotland

In Northern Ireland, nidirect says it normally takes 30 working days to process a DLA claim for a child, counted from the day the Disability and Carers Service receives the claim form.

In Scotland, children claim Child Disability Payment from Social Security Scotland rather than DLA. Social Security Scotland aims to decide within 7 working days when a child has a terminal illness. It also says applications can take longer because of high demand.

What to do while you wait

• Keep a diary. The booklet suggests keeping a diary or daily record of the help you give. You do not have to send it, but it is useful if you are asked about your child's needs or if you later disagree with the decision. Our free day and night care diary is set out the way the form asks.
• Send evidence as it arrives. Post reports you were waiting for to Freepost DWP DLA Child. Write your child's full name, date of birth and National Insurance number at the top of each page. Send copies only, as DWP cannot return originals.
• Ask school or nursery for a statement. A short statement from a teacher, nursery key worker or SENCO about the support your child needs can help. Our free school statement template makes it easier for them. See also our guide to school evidence for DLA.
• Let professionals know. DWP may contact the people you named on the form. A quick word means they are not caught off guard.
• Keep track. Our free evidence tracker helps you record what you sent and when.

If you have questions about your claim, the DLA helpline is 0800 121 4600.

After the decision

If your child is awarded the middle or highest care rate and you care for them for at least 35 hours a week, look at Carer's Allowance straight away. It is £86.45 a week in 2026/27. The DLA booklet says to claim it within 3 months of the DLA decision or you could lose money. GOV.UK says a Carer's Allowance claim can be backdated by up to 3 months. In Scotland, carers apply for Carer Support Payment instead.

If you disagree with the decision, you can ask DWP to look at it again. This is called mandatory reconsideration. You usually need to ask within one month of the date on the decision letter. Our free mandatory reconsideration letter generator and our guide to DLA mandatory reconsideration explain the steps. Our page on DLA rates for 2026/27 shows what each rate is worth.

Frequently asked questions