How moving from Child Disability Payment to Adult Disability Payment works

Child Disability Payment is a benefit for disabled children and young people. You can usually get Child Disability Payment until you’re 18.

Or you can choose to apply for Adult Disability Payment once you turn 16. 

Adult Disability Payment is a benefit for people who:

• are over the age of 16
• have a disability or long-term phyical or mental health condition that affects their everyday life

Social Security Scotland will decide if you’re eligible for Adult Disability Payment after:

• getting your completed application
• getting all the supporting information they need - which may sometimes include you taking part in a consultation

When you can apply

The earliest you can apply for Adult Disability Payment is 13 weeks before your 16th birthday.

You can decide when you’re ready to apply for Adult Disability Payment. Until your 18th birthday, you can choose to:

• apply for Adult Disability Payment at any time
• keep getting Child Disability Payment

You'll get letters to remind you that you can apply

If you’re between 16 and 18 and getting Child Disability Payment, Social Security Scotland will write to you occasionally to remind you that you can apply for Adult Disability Payment.

You can apply for Adult Disability Payment at any time up until your 18th birthday. It doesn’t matter if you’ve had a reminder letter or not. You do not have to wait to get one before you can apply.

If you decide not to apply for Adult Disability Payment before you're 18, you can still make a new application at any time after your Child Disability Payment ends. 

If you need more information, contact Social Security Scotland on 0800 182 2222 (8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday).

Other ways to contact Social Security Scotland.

If you decide not to apply for Adult Disability Payment

If you do not apply for Adult Disability Payment, your Child Disability Payment will usually stop when you turn 18.

Getting Child Disability Payment after you’re 18

You can sometimes keep getting Child Disability Payment for a limited time after you’ve turned 18. This can happen when you:

• have moved from Disability Living Allowance for children to Child Disability Payment and turned 18 on or before 31 December 2023
• have moved to Scotland from another part of the UK and are now getting Child Disability Payment and turned 18 on or before 31 December 2023
• applied for Adult Disability Payment before you turned 18 and are waiting for a decision on your Adult Disability Payment application

If none of these apply to you, you will not get Child Disability Payment after you’ve turned 18.

Applying for Adult Disability Payment after you turn 18

Usually, you need to submit your application for Adult Disability Payment before your 18th birthday.

But if your benefit was moved from Disability Living Allowance for children to Child Disability Payment, and you turned 18 on or before 31 December 2023, Social Security Scotland will give you more time to apply for Adult Disability Payment, if you need it. You should still submit your application as soon as you can after your 18th birthday.

If you’re terminally ill

If you're terminally ill, you can either:

• keep getting Child Disability Payment without an age limit
• move to Adult Disability Payment without having to apply

You should contact Social Security Scotland for advice if you're terminally ill and want to move to Adult Disability Payment.