List of Benefits you are entitled to and how to apply
Disability Living Allowance
This is a tax-free benefit for children and adults who need help with personal care or have walking difficulties because they are physically or mentally disabled.
Disability Living Allowance is normally paid directly into any account of your choice which accepts Direct Payment of benefits. This might be a bank, building society or other account provider.
If you start to get Disability Living Allowance it might increase the amount of other benefits or credits you’re entitled to, such as Income Support, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit, Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit.
Disability Living Allowance is paid at different rates depending on how your disability affects you. There are a several ways you can get a claim pack. You can claim online.
Disability Living Allowance is in two parts - the care component and the mobility component. You may be able to get just one component - or both.
| Care component | Weekly rate |
|---|---|
| Highest rate | £62.25 |
| Middle rate | £41.65 |
| Lowest rate | £16.50 |
| Mobility component | Weekly rate |
|---|---|
| Higher rate | £43.45 |
| Lower rate | £16.50 |
Here is a link to the Government official website for claim information CLICK HERE
Carer's Allowance
Carer’s Allowance is a benefit to help people who look after someone who is disabled. You do not have to be related to, or live with, the person you care for.
You can’t claim Carer’s Allowance if you are in full-time education with 21 hours or more a week of supervised study or earn more than £84 a week after certain deductions have been made (such as Income Tax).
The weekly rate is £46.95. This is reduced by the amount of certain other benefits, including State Pension, that you receive. If you receive certain other benefits at £46.95 or more a week, Carer’s Allowance cannot be paid to you as well.
You may be able to get an additional amount for your husband, wife or civil partner or someone living with you who looks after your dependent children.
There are several ways of making a claim for Carer's Allowance: you can claim online, ask for a claim form to be sent to you or you can download a form from the website.
Here is a link to the Government official website for claim information CLICK HERE
Vehicle excise duty (car tax) exemption
If you’re a disabled person you may not have to pay vehicle excise duty (car tax) for a tax disc. You may claim exemption from vehicle excise duty (car tax) if you're getting the higher rate mobility component of the Disability Living Allowance.
Here is a link to the Government official website for claim information CLICK HERE
The Motability Scheme: options for buying or hiring a car
Buying and adapting a car can be expensive. The Motability Scheme - run by the independent not-for-profit organisation Motability - gives disabled people the opportunity to own or lease a car at an affordable price.
The Motability Scheme can help you with leasing or buying a car if you're getting the War Pensioners' Mobility Supplement or the higher rate of the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA). Even if you don't drive, you can apply for a car as a passenger and propose two other people as your drivers.
You can also apply for a car on behalf of a child aged three or over, who is entitled to the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance.
Through the contract hire scheme you can lease a new car supplied by a Motability Accredited dealer for at least three years. Comprehensive insurance, routine servicing and breakdown assistance are included. You will need to pay for the fitting and removal of any adaptations.
You can apply if you have 12 months or more of your Disability Living Allowance 'award' remaining. If your award is not renewed during the full length of your chosen scheme, your car will need to be returned.
At the end of the period, the car is returned to Motability Operations who operate the car schemes under contract to Motability.
If money is a problem when financing the car or adaptations, Motability may be able to provide a grant through their own charitable fund or the Specialised Vehicle Funds, which they administer for the government.
Here is a link to the Government official website for claim information CLICK HERE
Child Tax Credit
Child Tax Credit is for people who are responsible for at least one child or qualifying young person. Child Tax Credit is paid direct to the person who is mainly responsible for caring for the child or children. If you are a lone parent you will receive the payment.
Working Tax Credit is paid to the person who is working 16 hours or more a week. Couples, if both of you are working 16 hours or more a week, must choose which one of you will receive it. You cannot receive Working Tax Credit if you are not working.
As part of Working Tax Credit you may qualify for help towards the costs of childcare. If you receive the childcare element of Working Tax Credit, this will always be paid direct to the person who is mainly responsible for caring for the child or children, alongside payments of Child Tax Credit.
The amount of tax credits you receive will depend on your annual income. The credits are also governed by DLA, and you are entitled to more money when you are receiving this other benefit.
Here is a link to the Government official website for claim information CLICK HERE
The Blue Badge parking scheme
The Blue Badge scheme provides a range of parking benefits for disabled people with severe walking difficulties who travel either as drivers or as passengers. The scheme operates throughout the UK.
The concessions only apply to on-street parking and include free use of parking meters and pay-and-display bays. Badge-holders may also be exempt from limits on parking times imposed on others and can park for up to three hours on yellow lines (except where there is a ban on loading or unloading or other restrictions).
You may qualify if you are receiving the higher rate of the Mobility Component of the Disability Living Allowance.
Your local authority is responsible for issuing Blue Badge parking permits - contact them for more information. The following link will let you enter details of where you live and then take you to your local authority website where you can find out more and/or apply online.
Here is a link to the Government official website for claim information CLICK HERE
Disabled Facilities Grants
A Disabled Facilities Grant is a local council grant to help towards the cost of adapting your home to enable you to continue to live there. A grant is paid when the council considers that changes are necessary to meet your needs - and is happy that the work is reasonable and practical.
You can claim if you, or someone living in your property, is disabled and you can certify that you, or the person on whose behalf you are applying, intend to occupy the property as your/their only or main residence throughout the grant period - currently five years
A grant can be used for essential adaptations to give you better freedom of movement into and around your home and/or to provide essential facilities within it.
The amount paid is usually based on a financial assessment (a ‘means test’) of your average weekly income in relation to your outgoings – or ‘assessed needs’. However, there is no means testing for families of disabled children under 19.
The maximum amount of grant that a council is required to pay is £25,000 per application in England - less any assessed contribution from you. If the cost of the eligible works is more, the council can use discretionary powers to increase the amount.
Here is a link to the Government official website for claim information CLICK HERE