Disability Living Allowance for children
Disability Living Allowance for children could help cover extra costs if your child:
- is under 16 years old
- lives in England or Wales
- has difficulty walking or getting around
- needs extra care and supervision compared to children their age who do not have a disability.
Disability Living Allowance is not just for children who are physically disabled. Your child might be able to get Disability Living Allowance because of lung conditions such as severe asthma and bronchiectasis.
Your child must have had these difficulties for at least three months and expect them to last for at least another six months.
Citizens Advice has more information, including how to apply and how much you could get.
The Disability Living Allowance is different if you live in Northern Ireland.
Child disability payment
If your child lives in Scotland, you’ll need to apply for Child Disability Payment instead of Disability Living Allowance for children.
Carer's Allowance
If your child gets the middle or highest rate of Disability Living Allowance, you could get Carer’s Allowance.
Child Benefit
Child Benefit is money to help with the costs of your children. You can claim it if your child is:
- under 16 years old
- under 20 years old if they’re in certain types of education or training.
Citizens Advice has more information about Child Benefit, including how to apply and how much you can get.
Universal Credit if you have children
Universal Credit is a payment that helps with living costs for those who have a low income, are not working or are not able to work because of a health condition.
If you have children, you may be eligible for an extra amount of Universal Credit to help you support your child.
The amount you’ll get depends on how many children you have.
You might get extra Universal Credit if:
- you have children that live with you
- your child has a health condition or disability.
Citizens Advice has more information about Universal Credit, including how to apply and how much you could get. They can also help you with your application.
How we develop our health information
About our health information
All our information is reviewed and updated by Asthma + Lung UK’s experienced Health Advice Team. People living with lung conditions, qualified healthcare professionals and specialists also review our content.
Our information is based on the latest, trustworthy evidence and guidelines. Below is a sample list of the sources referenced in our information about benefits for parents and carers of children with a lung condition.
- GOV.UK. Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children. Accessed: May 2026
- Nidirect. Disability living allowance for children. Accessed: May 2026
- Mygov.scot. Child Disability Payment. What child disability payment is. Accessed: May 2026
- GOV.UK. Child benefit: How it works. Accessed: May 2026
- GOV.UK. Universal Credit if you have children. Accessed: May 2026
If you'd like a full list of the sources we've used to produce our health information, you can email us at healthadvicequeries@asthmaandlung.org.uk.
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