DLA rates 2026/27

Disability Living Allowance pays £30.30, £76.70 or £114.60 a week for care and £30.30 or £80.00 for mobility in 2026/27: between £30.30 and £194.60 a week in total. New claims are for children under 16 in England and Wales.

By James Burfield Rates from gov.uk, checked 11 October 2026 How this works

DLA is tax free and usually paid every four weeks, on a Tuesday.

Every DLA award, 2026/27

The care component has three rates and the mobility component two, and either can be awarded alone, which makes 11 possible awards. This is what each one pays.

Who can still get DLA

New DLA claims are only for children under 16 who live in England or Wales, according to gov.uk's eligibility rules. A child in Scotland claims Child Disability Payment instead, and Northern Ireland runs its own DLA for children.

Nobody over 16 can make a new claim. The adults' guide sends them to PIP below State Pension age, and to Attendance Allowance from it. Adults already on DLA are being moved to PIP and are told by letter when.

At 16 a child is invited to claim PIP. DLA carries on until that claim is assessed, as long as they apply by the date in the letter, according to gov.uk's turning 16 guide.

DLA and PIP pay the same figures

DLA's highest and middle care rates are PIP's enhanced and standard daily living rates, and its higher and lower mobility rates are PIP's mobility rates. So a child moving from DLA to PIP at 16 gets the same money for the same level of award. DLA's lowest care rate is the one figure with no PIP equivalent. The PIP rates page has every PIP combination.

How much DLA is a month

DLA is paid every four weeks, which makes 13 payments a year. At the top rate each payment is £778.40, or £10,119.20 a year. Divided by 12 for a monthly budget that is £843.27, but no single payment is that amount, and at least one month a year has two payments in it.

DLA rates 2023/24 to 2026/27

The top DLA award has gone from £172.75 a week in 2023/24 to £194.60 in 2026/27. Every weekly rate since 2023/24:

Each year links to the DWP rates paper it comes from. Download this table as CSV.

Each rise from one row to the next matches the previous September's CPI inflation figure to within 5p, for all five rates. So the 2027/28 rates will follow the CPI figure for September 2026, which ONS publishes in October, unless the government chooses a different increase. The 2027/28 forecast works it through for every rate.

Questions

How much is DLA a week in 2026/27?

The care component is £30.30, £76.70 or £114.60 a week, at the lowest, middle or highest rate. The mobility component is £30.30 or £80.00. A child can get one or both, so DLA runs from £30.30 to £194.60 a week.

How much is DLA a month?

DLA is paid every four weeks, which makes 13 payments a year. At the top rate, highest care and higher mobility, each payment is £778.40. Spread over 12 months that is £843.27 a month, but no single payment is that amount.

Can adults still get DLA?

Adults cannot make a new claim. New DLA claims are for children under 16 living in England or Wales. Anyone older applies for PIP, or for Attendance Allowance from State Pension age. Adults already on DLA are being moved to PIP and get a letter telling them when.

What happens to DLA when a child turns 16?

Shortly after their 16th birthday the child gets a letter inviting them to apply for PIP. DLA stops unless they apply by the date in the letter. If they do, DLA carries on until the PIP claim is assessed, and it can then be paid into their own account.

Are DLA and PIP rates the same?

Yes, figure for figure. DLA's highest and middle care rates equal PIP's enhanced and standard daily living rates, and DLA's two mobility rates equal PIP's. DLA has one rate PIP does not: the lowest care rate, £30.30 a week in 2026/27, the same figure as the lower mobility rate.

Can I get Carer's Allowance for a child on DLA?

You might. gov.uk says you could qualify for Carer's Allowance if you spend at least 35 hours a week caring for a child who gets the middle or highest care rate of DLA. Only those two care rates count towards it.

When do DLA rates go up?

Every April, at the start of the tax year. Each rise since 2024/25 has matched the previous September's CPI inflation figure to within 5p, for all five rates. The 2027/28 rates will follow the CPI figure for September 2026 unless the government chooses a different increase.