Child DLA Care and Mobility Rules Explained

DLA vs PIP — What's the difference?

If your child is under 16, the relevant benefit is normally Disability Living Allowance (DLA). DLA has two components: Care (three rates) and Mobility (two rates). PIP is a separate benefit with activity descriptors and points; DWP normally invites a young person receiving child DLA to claim PIP after their sixteenth birthday. Follow the official transition instructions and the deadline in the invitation.

This page explains selected child DLA rules; it is not a complete list of PIP descriptors. For PIP, use our transition guide and the current DWP PIP assessment criteria.

The DLA Care Component — Three Rates

The rate depends on the specific care conditions. For a child under 16, needs must also be substantially greater than for a non-disabled child of the same age, or substantial needs that a younger child might have but a non-disabled child of this age would not. Section 72 sets out the child rules.

The normal qualifying period is three months of needs and an expectation they will continue for at least another six months; exceptions apply, including the special rules for end of life. Check GOV.UK eligibility for the age, residence and other conditions.

Rates rechecked 7 September 2026 for the 2026/27 year. Always verify current rates at GOV.UK.

Translating the Key Descriptors for Autism

DLA uses specific legal conditions. The examples below identify information that may be relevant; a behaviour or task does not automatically count towards a rate.

"Attention in connection with bodily functions"

Needs to describe if they apply:

• Prompting and supporting your child through a meltdown so they can eat or drink
• Personal prompting or help with the act of eating, stating why it is needed and for how long
• Verbal prompting through every step of getting dressed or washing
• Interpreting your child's non-verbal communication to others (e.g. at school pickup, at GP)
• Reading and responding to social cues on your child's behalf
• Sitting with your child during mealtimes to ensure they eat

Preparing separate meals, shopping and ordinary household work generally do not count as attention with bodily functions in their own right. There can be exceptions where a task forms part of a continuous episode of personal attention. Distinguish the domestic task from the personal help the child needs. See DWP chapter 61, paragraphs 61101–61103.

"Supervision to avoid substantial danger"

Needs to describe if they apply:

• Child has no road sense — cannot be left near roads unsupervised
• Risk of absconding (running away without warning)
• Self-injurious behaviour during meltdowns (head-banging, biting, scratching)
• Inability to recognise danger from strangers
• Pica (eating non-food items) requiring constant watch
• Risk of injury from extreme sensory-seeking behaviour

How repetitive behaviour may be relevant

Explain the full pattern accurately:

• what happens and what risk or bodily-function need arises
• what another person must do, how often and for how long
• what would probably happen without that help or supervision
• how the need differs from a child of the same age

Night supervision and attention

The night condition requires prolonged or repeated personal attention connected with bodily functions, or someone awake for a prolonged period or at frequent intervals to watch over the child to avoid substantial danger. The same-age child test also applies. See section 72.

Record what help is needed, why, its duration, how often it happens and nights when it is not needed. Distinguish the child’s bedtime from the household’s usual night period. A number of wakings or minutes does not automatically establish entitlement. DWP chapter 61, paragraphs 61161–61166 and 61200–61205, explains these terms.

Mobility Component

DLA Mobility has two rates:

• Lower Rate Mobility (£30.30 a week): from age 5 where disability means a child who can walk needs guidance or supervision outdoors most of the time, disregarding familiar routes they can use alone, and meets the additional same-age comparison.
• Higher Rate Mobility (£80.00 a week): payable from age 3 where one of the detailed higher-rate conditions is met. These include, but are not limited to, physical walking tests.

Outdoor safety needs may be relevant, but do not guarantee an award. Fear or anxiety has specific conditions and exclusions. Higher mobility through the severe-mental-impairment route requires highest-rate care and all the impairment and behavioural conditions; autism or bolting alone does not establish it. See our higher-mobility explanation and regulation 12.

How to Evidence Autism Needs on DLA Forms

DWP needs the child's full pattern of needs, including variation. Tips:

• Use a diary if helpful — show a representative pattern of help, duration and variation. A fixed diary period is not required; do not delay applying or miss a deadline to complete one.
• Describe variation honestly — explain better and harder days and how often each occurs
• Describe the pattern across the day — give actual examples and times rather than relying on a legal word such as “frequent”.
• Include night needs — many parents forget to mention night supervision
• Get a letter from your GP, paediatrician, or SENCO to corroborate your description
• Don't assume they know — write as if the assessor knows nothing about autism

Useful Resources

• GOV.UK — DLA for children
• Citizens Advice — DLA for children
• Contact (charity) — DLA guide for families
• Autistica — autism research and support
• SENDPath DLA Criteria Reflection Tool — evidence prompts only; no eligibility or rate prediction
• Carer's Allowance guide — check all conditions, including qualifying DLA care, 35 hours, study and earnings rules