Child Disability Payment is tax-free and it's made up of two components:

• care
• mobility

Children who are:

• over 3 may qualify for both the care and mobility component
• under 3 do not qualify for the mobility component

A child's care and mobility needs are not just represented by their physical ability. They can include emotional, behavioural, mental, developmental or learning difficulties.

This has three different payment rates:

• lowest
• medium
• highest
  
  

Lowest

This is a weekly rate of £28.70 (2024/25) which is paid if the child either:

• needs attention from someone, for a significant part of the day, in connection with their bodily functions due to a physical or mental disability
• is 16 or older and, due to a mental or physical disability, unable to prepare a cooked main meal for themselves.

Middle

This is a weekly rate of £72.65 (2024/25) which is paid if the child has any of the following needs:

• needs frequent attention from someone during the day, or prolonged or repeated attention at night, in connection with their bodily functions due to a physical or mental disability
• needs continual supervision during the day, or another person to be awake for a prolonged period or at frequent intervals at night, to avoid substantial danger to themselves or others
• gets renal dialysis treatment, during the day or at night, at least twice a week.

Highest

This is a weekly rate of £108.55 (2024/25) which is paid if the child has any of the following needs:

• needs frequent attention from someone during the day, and prolonged or repeated attention at night, in connection with their bodily functions due to a physical or mental disability
• needs continual supervision during the day, and another person to be awake for a prolonged period or at frequent intervals at night, to avoid substantial danger to themselves or others
• gets renal dialysis treatment, during the day and at night, at least twice a week
• is terminally ill.
  
  

If you get the highest rate of the care component, you'll also get Child Winter Heating Assistance.

There are two payment rates for the mobility component:

• lower
• higher

Lower

This is a weekly rate of £28.70 (2024/25) which is paid if the child:

• is five or over
• can walk, with or without equipment, but most of the time needs guidance or supervision from another person to move around outdoors.
  
  

Higher

This is a weekly rate of £75.75 (2024/25) which is for children aged three and over.

It’s paid if any of the following apply. The child:

• cannot walk, or is virtually unable to move around outdoors due to their disability
• has a severe visual disability or is blind and deaf
• has a severe mental health disability 
• has severe behavioural difficulties, due to a severe mental health disability, and needs supervision during the day and at night to avoid substantial danger to themselves or others
• would experience a serious deterioration in their health from the exertion of walking
• is terminally ill.
  
  

If the child is entitled to the higher rate mobility component, you can apply to lease an accessible vehicle.

If your child already gets Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children

You do not need to apply for Child Disability Payment. You’ll continue to get your Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children payments from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) until your child reaches 18. In the future you’ll receive your payments from Social Security Scotland instead.

This will be a straightforward transfer process and you:

• will be contacted by Social Security Scotland before it happens
• do not need to reapply. 

Social Security Scotland will not reassess your award.

Until you're told that the transfer process is complete, you should continue to follow instructions given by the DWP to maintain your DLA for children award.  

Applying for the first time?

If you feel your child meets the criteria, you can apply online, or you can ask for a paper form. Find out more about what is required to apply here: https://www.mygov.scot/child-disability-payment/applicants

You can call Social Security Scotland by phone to start an application for a child on Freephone: 0800 182 2222 (8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday). Social Security Scotland will ask for some details about you and the child so they can start your application. They'll then send you a paper application to complete and return in a prepaid envelope.

You can also get help to apply through one of Social Security Scotland's local delivery teams. You can find out more about these teams here

For more information on applying, visit MyGov.Scot here or call Social Security Scotland on Freephone: 0800 182 2222 (8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday).

You can find out which benefits you’re entitled to and how much you should be getting by doing an online benefits check, or contact one of our advisers at advice@carersuk.org for help arranging one.

Help with transport costs 

Contact Transport Scotland on 0141 272 7100 or your local authority. You may also be entitled to a Companion Card, allowing someone to travel with you for free. 

Our factsheet

See our factsheet for more detailed information about Child Disability Payment.