How to fill in the DLA form for a child (DLA1 Child)

Updated 8 October 2026 · Checked against GOV.UK and the DLA claim form (DLA1 Child, 10/25)

The DLA claim form for a child is the DLA1 Child, and the current paper version is dated 10/25 (people often still call it the DLA1A Child, its older name). You fill it in by describing the extra help your child needs, day and night, compared with a child of the same age without a disability. Here is the form in order, with its real question numbers.

Before you start

Print the form from GOV.UK or phone the DLA helpline on 0800 121 4600 for a paper copy. It comes with a booklet, DLA1 Child Notes 10/25, which explains the questions with examples. The form cannot be completed on a mobile phone or tablet. On a desktop or laptop you can type into the PDF and save as you go, then print, sign and post it. By hand, use black ink.

DLA cannot be backdated. Your claim starts on the date DWP receives the form, or on the date you phoned for a pack if you return it within 6 weeks. Gather your professionals' contact details, a printed prescription list and any reports first. The booklet suggests doing the form in stages, so take breaks.

What the form is really asking

The form says DLA is not paid for having a condition but for the impact it has on the child. "Extra" help means much more than a child of the same age without a disability would need. So for every question, picture a child of the same age and describe the help that goes beyond that: the extra prompting, the extra minutes, the watching that never stops.

Special rules and the child's details (questions 1 to 22)

Question 1 covers the special rules, for a child not expected to live longer than another 12 months. If you answer yes, skip the care questions (54 to 72) and ask the child's doctor or specialist for a free SR1 form. Do not wait for it before sending the claim. Questions 2 to 17 are facts: names in block capitals, National Insurance number (leave blank if unknown), date of birth, address and where the child lives. Questions 18 to 22 cover time abroad, benefits from a European Economic Area state or Switzerland and stays in hospital or residential care.

Professionals, GP, school and consent (questions 23 to 39)

DWP may contact the professionals you name, so these questions matter.

• Question 23: assessments done or awaited, such as an audiogram, MRI scan, speech therapy or IQ test.
• Question 24: reports you can send. Copies only, as DWP cannot return originals.
• Questions 25 to 29: other professionals (a paediatrician or physiotherapist, for example) and the GP's details.
• Questions 30 to 37: school or nursery, a contact who knows your child well and any Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan, Individual Education Plan or similar plan.
• Question 38: a statement from someone who knows your child, such as a teacher, social worker or carer, who signs on page 11.
• Question 39: consent for DWP to ask your child's doctor for information. You do not have to agree. If you do not, DWP decides on what it already has.

Our free school statement template helps a teacher or SENCO write question 38. Our guide to school evidence for DLA explains what helps most.

Conditions, aids and how needs change (questions 40 to 42)

Question 40 is a table of conditions, how long, treatment and how often. "How long" means when the difficulties began affecting daily life, not the date of diagnosis. No diagnosis? The form says to describe the difficulties anyway. Question 41 covers aids and adaptations used at home, school or elsewhere (including ones being assessed for) plus the help needed to use them. Question 42 asks whether needs are the same on most days or change. If they vary, describe the pattern.

Mobility (questions 43 to 53)

Mobility can only be paid from age 3, so under-3s skip to question 54. Questions 43 to 48 ask how far your child can walk before severe discomfort or distress, how long it takes, their speed and the way they walk. "Slow" means taking twice as long as similar children. The booklet's tip: 100 of your own steps is about 90 metres, so count and time a walk.

Question 49 (guidance or supervision outdoors, including road safety and understanding danger) is for children aged 5 and over. Questions 50 to 53 (falls, when the needs started, Motability and more information) apply from age 3. If your child cannot walk, the form sends you from question 43 to question 51. See our guide to the DLA mobility component for children.

Care during the day (questions 54 to 69)

Daytime is any time before the child's parents or carer go to bed. If you go to bed at 11pm, daytime runs until 11pm.

Questions 54 to 60 cover bed, the toilet, moving indoors, washing, dressing, eating and medicine. For each task, give how often each day your child needs encouragement, prompting or assistance and how many minutes it takes. Where no help is needed, the form asks you to write 0. In the booklet's example, encouragement to get up in the morning and after a nap, 4 minutes each time, is written as "Twice" and "4". Small amounts add up, so count every time.

Questions 61 to 69 cover seeing, hearing, speaking, communicating, fits, supervision for safety, development, school or nursery and hobbies. For hobbies, you can describe what your child would do with the help they need. Our free day and night care diary makes the numbers easier.

Night, start date and question 72

Night is when everyone in the house is in bed. Question 70 asks how many nights a week, how many minutes and how many times a night your child needs help with bed, the toilet or pads, treatment, settling or being watched over. Write 0 where none is needed. Our guide to night-time care and DLA goes further.

Question 71 asks when care needs started; a rough date is fine. Question 72 is a free box: describe the hardest parts of the day, how often they happen and what goes wrong without help.

About you, payment and signing (questions 73 to 89)

Questions 73 to 83 are about you and questions 84 to 88 are your account details. Question 89 is the last "More information" box: continue answers, list evidence you are waiting for and explain if the form is late. Put the child's name, National Insurance number and date of birth on any extra sheets. Then sign and date the declaration (by signing, you agree to report changes straight away) and work through the checklist.

Evidence and posting the form

Send copies of reports or care plans from therapists, GPs, consultants or social workers, hospital letters, test results, the prescription list and any EHC plan. Do not send appointment letters, fact sheets or a memory stick. Write your child's name, date of birth and National Insurance number on each page.

Waiting for a report? Say so at question 89, send what you have and post the rest to Freepost DWP DLA Child. Use the envelope provided or write only that address, with no stamp. Our free evidence tracker helps you keep track. The booklet also suggests photographing the finished form before you post it.

Frequently asked questions