Free tool · DLA decisions

Free DLA mandatory reconsideration letter for a child

If you think the decision on your child's Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is wrong, you can ask the DWP to look at it again. This is called a mandatory reconsideration, and it is free. Fill in the form below and we set out a letter for you to check, finish and send.

Ask within one month of the date on the decision letter. If you post your request, it must arrive by then. A later request can be accepted with a good reason, for example a stay in hospital or a bereavement, and you must explain why it is late.

What a mandatory reconsideration is

A mandatory reconsideration means asking the office that made the decision to look at it again. You need one before you can appeal to a tribunal.

Someone looks at your child's whole claim again, not only the part you disagree with, so the award may go up, stay the same, go down or stop. Read the whole decision letter first, for both the care and the mobility parts. If you do not understand the reasons for the decision, call the office on the decision letter and ask them to explain.

Write your letter

Fields marked Required must be filled in. Everything else is optional: the letter leaves a space where something is missing.

Your full name RequiredYou, as the parent or carer claiming for your child

Your child's full name RequiredAs on the decision letter

Your child's date of birth For example 14 March 2018

The date on the decision letter It works out your deadline

What happened? Required

Your child's conditions or difficulties RequiredFor example: autism, ADHD, speech delay. No diagnosis yet? Describe the difficulties.

Why you disagree with the decision Required In your own words, cover:

what the decision got wrong or missed
what happens on most days, and on bad days
the help your child needs by day and at night
how that compares with other children the same age
real examples: how often, how long each time and what happens without help

The care component

Optional. This part goes into the letter only when you fill in the reason. Lowest rate: help for some of the day. Middle: frequent help or continual supervision through the day, or help at night. Highest: help or supervision both day and night.

Rate awarded

Rate you are asking for

Why this rate fits What your child needs by day and at night, how often and how long each time, compared with other children the same age

The mobility component

Optional. This part goes into the letter only when you fill in the reason. Higher rate (from age 3): cannot walk, or can only walk a short distance without severe discomfort, and some other cases. Lower rate (from age 5): can walk but needs guidance or supervision outdoors in places they do not know well.

Rate awarded

Rate you are asking for

Why this rate fits How far and how your child walks outdoors, what happens when they do, and the guidance or supervision they need compared with other children the same age

Evidence you are enclosing One item per line, for example: Letter from the paediatrician, 2 September 2026. Only include evidence you have not already sent, and send copies, not originals.

I am asking after the one-month deadline

Ask for a copy of the evidence used to make the decision, including any report from a health professional

Your letter is set out on this page, in your browser. Nothing you type leaves this page unless you choose to email the letter to yourself.

Want grounds written for your child, part by part?

Our Mandatory Reconsideration Pack sets out your grounds for the care and mobility parts from your decision letter, finds gaps in your evidence, gives the appeal steps and includes the whole Done For You report.

See the MR Pack →

How to send it

Send your letter to the address on your decision letter, so that it arrives within one month of the date of the decision. Keep a copy for yourself.

You do not have to write a letter. You can also:

phone the office on your decision letter. Form CRMR1 says a request by phone is looked at in exactly the same way, and you can use your letter as notes for the call;
use the DWP's own form CRMR1, on GOV.UK as Challenge a decision made by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). You can copy your reasons from the letter into it.

As your child's parent or legal guardian, you do not need a signed authority to ask for them. If you send evidence, write your child's full name, date of birth and National Insurance number (if they have one) at the top of each page.

What happens next

The office looks at the whole claim again. You then get a letter called a mandatory reconsideration notice. It says whether the decision has changed, with the reasons and the evidence it was based on. Keep it safe.

If you still think the decision is wrong, you can appeal to the Social Security and Child Support Tribunal. It is independent of government and it is free to appeal.

Appeal within one month of the date of the mandatory reconsideration notice. You cannot appeal before you have it.
Appeal online, or by post on form SSCS1. You need the notice when you apply. See GOV.UK: appeal a benefit decision.
If you start an appeal after a month, you have to explain why, and it might not be accepted.

Our guide to DLA mandatory reconsideration goes through each step in more detail.

Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, DLA for children is run by the Department for Communities, and you ask for a mandatory reconsideration on form MR2(NI) from nidirect. Ask within one month of the date of the decision letter, and if you are later than that, say why. You can copy your own reasons from the letter on this page into the form. The letter's section on the test for children quotes the law for Great Britain, so leave that part out.

If you then want to appeal, it goes to the Appeals Service (NI), within one month of the date on the mandatory reconsideration notice.

Scotland

In Scotland, children get Child Disability Payment from Social Security Scotland instead of DLA, and the way to challenge a decision is different. You ask Social Security Scotland to look at the decision again, which is called a redetermination. The law gives you 42 days from the day you are told about your right to ask. This letter is written for DLA decisions, so see mygov.scot: disagree with a decision for the steps.

Questions parents ask

How long do I have to ask for a mandatory reconsideration?

Usually one month from the date on the decision letter. If you write, your letter must arrive by then. A later request can be accepted with a good reason, and the regulations set an outer limit of 13 months from when you were told about the decision.

Can a mandatory reconsideration lower my child's DLA?

It can. GOV.UK says the whole claim is looked at again, and the benefit may stop, stay the same, increase or decrease. Read the full decision before you ask.

Do I have to send a letter?

No. You can ask by phone, by letter or on the DWP's form CRMR1. Form CRMR1 says a request by phone is looked at in exactly the same way. A letter gives you a record of what you asked for.

Do I need a signed authority to ask for my child?

No. The CRMR1 notes say no signed authority is needed when you are the claimant's parent or legal guardian.

What if the decision does not change?

You can appeal to the Social Security and Child Support Tribunal within one month of the date of the mandatory reconsideration notice, online or by post on form SSCS1. It is free to appeal.

Is my letter sent to you?

Only if you choose to email it to yourself. The letter is set out on this page, in your browser, and nothing you type leaves this page unless you press Email this letter to me. Our privacy policy explains how that email is handled.

Sources (checked 6 October 2026)