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Adult Disability Payment
What is Adult Disability Payment
Who Can Apply for Adult Disability Payment
Adult Disability Payment Components
How much is Adult Disability Payment
Applying for Adult Disability Payment
Transferring from Personal Independence Payment
Transferring from Disability Living Allowance
What is Adult Disability Payment?
Adult Disability Payment (ADP) is a benefit designed to help with the extra costs of being disabled. It is paid by Social Security Scotland (see website here) and has replaced Personal Independence Payment in Scotland.
You can receive Adult Disability Payment no matter your income, savings or work status. It is not taxed and claiming won’t negatively affect other benefits you receive. You can spend Adult Disability Payment on whatever you want.
Who can apply for Adult Disability Payment?
Unless you are terminally ill, you must:
- Be aged between 16 and State Pension age (currently 66).
- Live in Scotland and have been present in the UK or Ireland for 26 weeks out of the last 52. There are exemptions to this rule, for example if you are a refugee.
- Have a disability or health condition that affects your ability to carry out daily living tasks or move around.
- Have a disability or health condition that has lasted at least 3 months and be expected to last at least 9 months more. You don’t have to have a formal diagnosis for what is causing your symptoms.
You can use the link here Scottish Government suitability checker to help you decide whether to apply.
The claims process if you are terminally ill is explained here. Claims process if you are terminally ill
You have to be below State Pension age (66) to make a new application, but if you already receive Adult Disability Payment when you reach State Pension age you can continue to receive it after State Pension age.
Adult Disability Payment components
There are two different parts to Adult Disability Payment; the daily living component and the mobility component. You might receive one component or both.
Each component can be paid at a standard or enhanced (higher) rate.
You can receive the daily living component if you have difficulties with some of the everyday activities needed to look after yourself. These include:
- Making yourself food
- Eating and drinking
- Going to the toilet
- Washing yourself
- Getting dressed and undressed
- Speaking
- Reading text
- Engaging with others
- Making basic budgeting decisions
- Taking medication or monitoring your health condition.
You can receive the mobility component if you have difficulties with moving around. Moving around means:
- Both standing and how far you can walk
- Planning and making a journey by yourself
What does it mean to have difficulties with these tasks?
Difficulties with daily living activities and moving about may be caused by any disability; physical or mental, or difficulty learning, remembering or understanding. You may need help from someone else or equipment to help you complete a task. Help includes someone reminding you to undertake a daily activity or someone supervising you to do so.
You may be able to do an activity without help, but:
- Doing it yourself isn’t safe
- You can’t do it well enough
- You can’t do it fast enough
- It makes you too tired or unwell
If safety, accuracy, speed and fatigue affect your daily living activities or moving around, then this counts as having difficulties.
You can find detailed information about the assessment here
Adult disability payment assessment.pdf
Evidence to support your claim
Social Security Scotland will need information about and evidence of your disability. You can either send this with your claim or give permission for Social Security Scotland to seek this evidence from medical and other professionals who support you. If you can supply supporting evidence yourself, it can make the application process quicker. You can send supporting evidence with the second part of your application or as soon as you can afterwards.
What can I use as supporting evidence?
- A statement from a professional such as a GP, nurse, occupational therapist, social worker, or other professional who helps with your disability.
- Documents you already have such as medical letters, social care assessments and repeat prescriptions slips.
- A statement from someone who knows you and has witnessed the effect of your disabilities.
- A daily diary of your symptoms and the support you receive. This can be particularly useful if you have a condition that changes day-to-day, or throughout the day, as it can show how your condition changes.
How much is Adult Disability Payment?
Payment rates usually change each April. Weekly payment rates are:
Daily Living Component
Standard Rate: £72.65 (24/25) and £73.90 (25/26)
Enhanced Rate: £108.55 (24/25) and £110.40 (25/26)
Mobility Component
Standard Rate: £28.70 (24/25) and £29.20 (25/26)
Enhanced Rate: £75.75 (24/25) and £77.05 (25/26)
Applying for Adult Disability Payment
The application form for Adult Disability Payment has 2 parts; the first asks for basic information about you, the second asks about how your health problems and disabilities affect your day-to-day life.
Applying online
You can apply for Adult Disability Payment online here . You will need to create a Scottish Government ‘my account’ if you don’t already have one.
Part 1 of the form asks for basic details such as your date of birth, national insurance number and bank account details. You have 14 days to submit Part 1 of the form.
Part 2 of the form asks about how your disability or health condition affects your everyday life, and for details of the medication and treatments you receive. You have 56 days to submit part 2 of the form.
Applying by phone and on paper
You can apply for Adult Disability Payment over the phone by calling Social Security Scotland free on 0800 182 2222 (8am-5pm weekdays) to start your application. If your first language is not English, you can ask for an interpreter to help.
Part 1 of the form will be completed over the phone with your basic details, and Part 2 of the form will be posted to you. You have 56 days to complete and return the form.
If you are a British Sign Language user, you can apply by contacting Social Security Scotland using the ContactScotland video relay.
Getting Help to Apply
Social Security Scotland’s local delivery service
This service can help you with your claim. A local adviser can visit you at home or somewhere nearby. They can answer questions about Adult Disability Payment, help you to complete and submit forms and explain what kind of supporting information you need to provide. You can find out more details about the local delivery service at this link: Local Delivery Service
VoiceAbility
VoiceAbility can provide free help if you are disabled and want advocacy support to help you through the claims (and appeals) process. You can contact VoiceAbility directly or ask for their help through Social Security Scotland.
Welfare rights advice
A welfare benefits adviser could help you to complete the application form and make sure you are applying for everything you are entitled to. You may be able to find a benefits adviser at:
- a council or housing association welfare benefits service
- your local Citizen’s Advice Bureau
- an adviser at a carer’s centre or GP practice
There might be other organisations with welfare rights advisers in your area; call us on 0300 323 9961 to find out what help is available.
Transferring from Personal Independence Payment (PIP) to Adult Disability Payment
Social Security Scotland are transferring people who receive Personal Independence Payment in Scotland onto Adult Disability Payment; they aim to complete this process by the end of 2025. The process is automatic and you do not need to fill in an application form. When your benefit is being transferred, you will receive a letter from Social Security Scotland to let you know. You will be transferred over to Adult Disability Payment at the same rate, with no breaks in payment. Your claim will be reviewed soon after that to confirm which rate of Adult Disability Payment you are entitled to.
Transferring from Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to Adult Disability Payment
From the end of March 2025, anyone still receiving Disability Living Allowance in Scotland will be moved onto a new benefit called Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance. You can find information about this new benefit here Moving from Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance
Help from your local council
If you need care and support because of a disability you can contact your local council (NHS Highland in Highland) to ask for a Care needs assessment. Call us on 0300 323 9961 to find out more.
Information last updated on 29 April 2024. Please note that information may be subject to change. All information is provided in good faith but Disability Information Scotland does not endorse any product or service referred to within this resource.
We are grateful to the Scottish Government for funding this publication
