Skip to content
Accessibility Sitemap Search

The UK's national charity for working parents and carers

Donate
Members log in

Adult Disability Payment (Scotland)

Adult Disability Payment (ADP) is a benefit for people in Scotland aged between 16 and State Pension age who need help with daily living and/or mobility due to a health condition or disability. In England or Wales you may be able to claim Personal Independence Payment instead.

If you are aged 16 or 17 and are already getting Child Disability Payment or Disability Living Allowance you can stay on your existing benefit until you turn 18.

Entitlement to Adult Disability Payment depends on the help you need. To qualify you must have needed the help for at least 3 months and expect to continue to need the help for at least a further 9 months unless you are terminally ill.

Adult Disability Payment is not a ‘means-tested’ benefit. This means that your income and savings are not taken into account when assessing your entitlement. If you get Adult Disability Payment it won’t reduce any other benefits you get and may help you qualify for additional benefits and support.

You can claim Adult Disability Payment whether you are in work or out of work. The payment is to help you with the additional costs associated with having a health condition or disability and is unrelated to whether you are working or not. If you are not working or have a low income you may also qualify for Universal Credit and/or New-Style Employment and Support Allowance to help meet your essential living costs (seek advice before claiming Universal Credit if you are claiming any legacy benefits).

Adult Disability Payment is made up of two parts – a daily living component and a mobility component. Each component has two rates. You may be awarded only one component or both components depending on your needs.

The rates are:

Daily living component:

  • Standard rate £73.90 a week
  • Enhanced rate £110.40 a week

Mobility component:

  • Standard rate £29.20 a week
  • Enhanced rate £77.05 a week

You may qualify for Adult Disability Payment if you need help with any of the following activities:

Daily living needs

  • Preparing food
  • Eating and drinking
  • Managing medication or therapy
  • Washing and bathing
  • Managing toilet needs
  • Dressing and undressing
  • Communicating verbally
  • Reading and understanding signs, symbols and words
  • Socialising
  • Managing money

Mobility needs

  • Planning and following a journey
  • Moving around

The help you need may be from another person or you may need aids and adaptations to carry out any of the above activities safely. Both supervision and physical support count as needing help. You do not need to be receiving help from another person to qualify for Adult Disability Payment.

If you qualify for Adult Disability Payment it may help somebody who is caring for you to qualify for benefits as a carer.

You can make a claim for Adult Disability Payment online or by phoning Social Security Scotland on 0800 182 2222 (Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm).

You can find further guidance and information about Adult Disability Payment on Citizens Advice website.

If you need help with your Adult Disability Benefit claim you can get help from Social Security Scotland. Alternatively Citizens Advice may be able to help you or you can search for another local organisation who may be able to help on the Advice Local website.

This advice applies in England, Wales and Scotland. If you live in another part of the UK, the law may differ. Please call our helpline for more details. If you are in Northern Ireland you can visit the Labour Relations Agency or call their helpline Workplace Information Service on 03300 555 300.

If you have further questions and would like to contact our advice team please use our advice contact form below or call us.

Advice form

This probably isn’t what you came here for.

You’re looking for answers – maybe even a lifeline. And we’re proud to be able to offer free legal advice to parents and carers who need it.

But keeping this service free, expert, and up to date takes time, people, and funding.

  • We’re a small charity, not a big law firm. That means we can focus on helping parents and carers, not chasing fees.
  • It also means we’re free to speak up, using what we learn to campaign for fairer workplace rights for all families.
  • And it means we can keep our advice free and accessible for those who need it most, not hidden behind a paywall or limited to those who can afford a solicitor.

Most people who visit our site won’t donate – and that’s okay. But if you’re in a position to chip in, we’d be hugely grateful. Your support helps us keep showing up for families when it matters most.

Whatever you can give – thank you.
You’re helping build a fairer future for working families.

Make a donation

We would love your feedback

Sign up to our newsletter

  • Would your employer benefit from support from Working Families?

    Would your employer benefit from some support & guidance from Working Families? If you would like to make your employer aware of how Working Families can help them, we have an introduction letter template available that you can give to the relevant person in your organisation.

The information on the law contained on this site is provided free of charge and does not, and is not intended to, amount to legal advice to any person on a specific case or matter. If you are not a solicitor, you are advised to obtain specific legal advice about your case or matter and not to rely solely on this information. Law and guidance is changing regularly in this area.

We cannot provide advice on employment rights in Northern Ireland as the law is different. You can visit the Labour Relations Agency or call their helpline Workplace Information Service on 03300 555 300.