What you need to apply for Pension Age Disability Payment

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

If you have a terminal illness, there’s a faster process for applying under Special Rules for Terminal Illness.

Completing part 1

Part 1 asks for your personal details.

You’ll need:

• your personal details, such as date of birth and main address
• your National Insurance number - you can find this on your National Insurance card, a social security letter, pension statement, payslip, P60 or P45
• your bank, building society or credit union account details

You can still apply for Pension Age 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 you have been outside the Common Travel Area at any time in the last year, you'll need to tell Social Security Scotland when you were away, and why. This is so they can consider your application for Pension Age Disability Payment in the right way.

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

Completing part 2

Part 2 asks you about:

• what help and support you need
• your disability or condition
• documents you can provide alongside your application
• contact details for people involved in your care or who understand your needs
• any medications, treatments or equipment you need

Part 2 asks for a lot of information. You do not have to complete it all at once. If you’re applying online you can save what you’ve done and keep going at another time.

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

Do not worry if you think you’ve added information in the wrong place or repeated anything. Social Security Scotland will consider your application in full.

It’ll help you to complete part 2 if you have:

• information about your condition, or your symptoms if you’re still waiting for a diagnosis
• contact details for a professional involved in your care, such as a GP, social worker or paid carer
• contact details for someone who could give more information about your care needs, such as a family member, friend or unpaid carer

Statement of support from someone that knows you

In part 2 you can give Social Security Scotland a statement of support from someone that knows you and understands your care needs.

This does not have to be completed but it can help Social Security Scotland to understand your needs better.

It can be filled in by:

• someone from your wider support network, such as a family member, friend or unpaid carer
• a professional

It’s helpful if the person completing the statement:

• knows you well
• can describe the help or support you need

It should not be completed by:

• you, if you’re completing your own application
• someone with legal power to act for you, like an appointee

If you use the paper application form, the statement is part of the form.

If you’re applying online, you should:

1. Download the Statement of support from someone that knows you.
2. Give it to the person you want to complete it.
3. Ask them to return it to you when it’s been completed.
4. Upload it as part of your application online, or by using Social Security Scotland’s document upload tool.

Questions you'll be asked

You’ll be asked questions about your day-to-day needs.

These include questions on any help or support you need:

• getting in and out of bed
• washing and bathing
• going to the toilet and managing incontinence
• moving around indoors
• dressing and undressing
• communicating with others
• eating and drinking
• staying safe during the day
• when doing activities at home and outside
• taking medication, monitoring a health condition and with therapy
• during the night

These questions will ask about any:

• help you may need from a person
• aids, adaptations or tools you need

You can download the types of questions you'll be asked when applying for Pension Age Disability Payment. They’re for reference. Do not use them to make an application.

Supporting information

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

Most people have documents or letters at home they can use as supporting information.

You can share these with Social Security Scotland to:

• confirm your conditions, disability or needs
• describe the impact your conditions or disability have on your life

What you need to provide

You need to provide one piece of supporting information from a professional that confirms your conditions, disability or needs. It does not need to include a diagnosis.

This can be:

• an official document, such as a prescription list or care plan
• a letter from a professional
• the statement of support completed by a professional

See more examples of supporting information from a professional.

You can also provide information that describes the impact your conditions or disability have on your life. This can be either:

• a letter or phone call to Social Security Scotland from someone in your wider support network who knows you and your needs well
• information from a professional that describes your needs

Some people may not:

• be able to provide supporting information from a professional
• have a professional who can provide supporting information

People in this situation should still apply for Pension Age Disability Payment. Social Security Scotland staff can make an award without supporting information, if:

• there’s a good reason for it not being available 
• the person meets the eligibility criteria

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 within 28 days of submitting your part 2 application
• 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’ve completed part 1 of the Pension Age Disability Payment application, you must complete part 2 within 56 days (8 weeks).

If you apply online, you can save your application and continue when it suits you over those 8 weeks.

You can ask Social Security Scotland for more time to complete part 2 if you need it.

You can submit part 2 even if you’re waiting for supporting information. You can then send any supporting information within 28 days of submitting part 2.

You and your data

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