£3,000 Bonus for Long-Term DLA Claimants—Unannounced Windfall?: in April 2025. PIP and DLA benefit payments increased by 1.7%, reflecting inflation and offering extra financial help to individuals with disabilities. This comprehensive guide breaks down the new weekly rates, eligibility criteria, how to apply, and practical tips for claimants, whether you are a current recipient or new to the system.
£3,000 Bonus for Long-Term DLA Claimants
Disability Living Allowance (DLA) is the main benefit for disabled children in England and Northern Ireland. It is not taxable, and it doesn’t count as income for other benefits. Instead, getting DLA can lead to an increase in other benefits you receive. It can also help you qualify for entitlements for the first time And getting an increased rate award may lead to something else.
Extra benefits and help you can get while on DLA
If you get DLA for your child, you might be able to get extra money from other benefits or help with travel; for example, you might not have to pay vehicle tax. You will need your DLA decision letter before you can apply for this extra help; you will be sent this when you get a decision on your DLA claim.
Higher payments of benefits you get DLA for your child:
- Housing Benefit
- Universal Credit
- Child Tax Credit
Tax credits ended for everyone on 5 April 2025. If you started your claim for DLA before this date, you might be able to get a lump sum for any tax credits you missed while you were waiting for a decision.
If you get DLA for your child, you will also be exempt from the benefit cap, which limits the amount of benefit payments a household can get. Check who pays your benefits and contact them. Tell them you are getting DLA for your child and ask them what other help this entitles you to. It is a good idea to have a decision letter handy when you call.
Income Support
Some families who claimed Income Support before the introduction of tax credits still get extra payments for their children in their Income Support, although the majority of these families will now have migrated to Universal Credit. For these families, getting DLA will lead to getting extra money in income support. This is the disabled child premium enhanced disability premium if your child gets the highest rate of the care component.
DLA disability test: the mobility component
- Need guidance or supervision with walking on unfamiliar routes because of their mental or physical disability. They must need substantially more guidance or supervision than a child of the same age who is in normal physical or mental health.
For a higher rate of the mobility component, your child must meet one of the following conditions. They must:
- be unable to walk
- be virtually unable to walk;
- have no legs or feet
- qualify for the highest rate of the DLA care component, be severely mentally impaired and show extremely disruptive and dangerous behaviour
- Have a severe visual impairment, be both blind and deaf, and need the assistance of another person to walk out of doors.
How much is DLA?
From 7 April 2025, the weekly rates for the care component are
lowest rate—£29.20
middle rate—£73.90
highest rate—£110.40
The weekly rates for the mobility component are
lower rate—£29.20
higher rate—£77.05
Your child can only receive one rate from each component.
How to claim DLA
You can call and ask for a claim form.
- Telephone: 0800 121 4600
- Textphone : 0800 121 4523
If you return the completed form within six weeks, your child’s award can be backdated to the day you asked for it.
- You can download a DLA claim pack. If you are deaf and use British Sign Language, you may be able to claim using a video relay service.
Conclusion
In this article, we discussed the £3,000 bonus for long-term DLA claimants—an unannounced windfall?—in April 2025. If you get DLA for your child, you will also be exempt from the benefit cap, which limits the amount of benefit payments a household can get. This is the disabled child premium enhanced disability premium if your child gets the highest rate of the care component. It can also be important when trying to explain needs that fluctuate either during a single day or over a longer period.