What you need to apply

You can choose to apply for Child Disability Payment online or by phone and paper. There are 2 parts to the Child Disability Payment application form. 

Completing part 1

Part 1 asks for your and the child’s personal details.

It will help you to complete part 1 if you have:

• your and the child’s personal details, such as date of birth and main address
• the child’s Child Reference Number, if you know it
• your National Insurance number - you can find this on your National Insurance card, a social security letter, payslip, P60 or P45
• details of the bank, building society or credit union account you want Social Security Scotland to pay Child Disability Payment into

You can still apply for Child Disability Payment if you do not have a bank, building society or credit union account. If your application is successful, you’ll need to contact Social Security Scotland to agree how you want them to pay you.

If the child has been outside the Common Travel Area at any time in the last year, or since birth if they’re under 1 year old, you'll need to tell Social Security Scotland when they were away, and why. This is so they can consider your application for Child Disability Payment in the right way.

If the child lives in a European Economic Area (EEA) country, Switzerland or Gibraltar, Social Security Scotland need to ask about residence details to make a decision on your application.

Completing part 2

Part 2 asks you about:

• any conditions and sensory issues the child has 
• what help, support or care the child needs during the day or at night
• what help or support the child needs at other times during the day, including when they’re not with you
• the support the child needs to safely move around outdoors
• any treatment or therapies the child gets
• any equipment the child uses or any changes made to their home
• any medication the child takes

It can take a long time to complete part 2 but you do not have to do it all at once.

You'll only need to give detailed answers to the questions that are relevant to the child. Social Security Scotland only ask you what they need to know to decide if the child can get Child Disability Payment.

Social Security Scotland will consider your application in full. Do not worry if you think you have added some information in the wrong place, or repeated yourself.

It will help you to complete part 2 if you have:

• information about the child’s condition or symptoms, particularly where they do not have a diagnosis
• information about any medical tests the child has had, and the results if you have them
• contact details for a professional who can broadly confirm the child's conditions, disability or needs
• contact details for anyone else who could give more information about the impact of the child’s condition or disability such as a family member or someone who looks after them

Questions you'll be asked

You can download documents showing the questions you’ll be asked when applying for Child Disability Payment. They’re for reference only and you should not use them to make an application.

Supporting information

Supporting information is information that:

• broadly confirms the child’s conditions, disability or needs
• may also describe the impact the conditions or disability have on their life

Social Security Scotland uses supporting information to help them understand your application and make a decision.

If there isn't any supporting information that you can provide or gather on your behalf, you can still apply.

What you need to provide

You need to provide a document from a professional that confirms the child’s conditions, disability or needs. It does not need to include a diagnosis.

This is usually copies of documents or letters you may already have at home.

This can be either:

• a letter from a professional
• an official document, such as a prescription list, letter from the child’s school, or a letter about an assessment or appointment

See more examples of supporting information from a professional.

You can also provide information that describes:

• the impact the conditions or disability have on the child’s life
• what support the child needs with everyday tasks or mobility

This can be either:

• a letter to, or phone conversation with Social Security Scotland from someone in the child’s wider support network who knows them well
• information from a professional that describes the child’s needs

See examples of who you can get supporting information from.

How to provide supporting information

You can:

• send supporting information with your application (this can help Social Security Scotland to process your application quicker)
• send supporting information to Social Security Scotland, as soon as possible.
• ask Social Security Scotland to get supporting information for you

It may take longer for Social Security Scotland to process your application if you ask them to get the supporting information for you. This is because it can take time getting information from other organisations. 

Find out more about supporting information and how to send it to Social Security Scotland.

How long you have to apply

Once you have completed part 1 of the Child Disability Payment application, you must complete part 2 within six weeks.

If you're applying online, you can save your application and continue when it suits you within the six-week period.

You can ask Social Security Scotland for more time to complete part 2 if you need it. You do not have to give a reason.

You do not need to wait until you have supporting information before you submit part 2 of your application. You can submit part 2 and then send supporting information afterwards, or ask Social Security Scotland to help to gather the supporting information for you. 

If you send supporting information afterwards, you should send this as soon as possible 

You and your data

If you want to know more about how Social Security Scotland uses your data, you can read the privacy notice.