How to claim the Pension Age Disability Payment

The Pension Age Disability Payment (PADP) is a benefit for people living in Scotland that gives you extra money if you need help with your daily activities due to a disability or long-term health condition or if you are terminally ill and have reached State Pension age. It has replaced Attendance Allowance in the whole of Scotland. If you live in England, Wales or Northern Ireland you can still claim Attendance Allowance.

The Pension Age Disability Payment is paid every four weeks and can be worth up to nearly £6,000 a year. It has two rates: lower and higher. The amount you get in 2025/26 depends on your care needs. The payment is tax free. 

• The lower rate is £73.90 a week. It’s for you if you need help or supervision during the day or night.

• The higher rate is £110.40 a week. It’s for you if you need help or supervision during the day and night.

• If a registered doctor or nurse has said you are terminally ill you’ll automatically get the higher rate and be paid weekly in advance.   

You can’t usually get the Pension Age Disability Payment if you live in a care home and the local authority is paying for your care.  

But you can still claim PADP if you live in a care home and are paying for it yourself.

The payment is to contribute towards any care needs you have. Many people don’t realise that you don’t need to already be receiving help to make a claim for the payment. What’s important is that you need help due to the severity of your condition. This means you find some everyday tasks difficult or impossible without help – it could be getting into a bath, going up or down stairs, getting into or out of bed or dressing yourself.  

As part of your application you’ll need to provide supporting information  that you could have benefitted from this help for at least six months. You don’t need to wait six months gathering this, and you don’t need to have had a diagnosis, it’s about the help you need. Instead you’ll need to describe your situation in the past six months showing that you have consistently needed help.  

• You need to be of State Pension age. In Scotland it’s age 66 or above, visit GOV.UK to check your State Pension ageOpens in a new window

• Your finances are not taken into account.  If your condition means you qualify for help, you’ll get it regardless of your income or savings.

• You need to have an illness or disability that means you need ‘help’ or ‘supervision’ with daily activities. There’s no official list of qualifying conditions – but arthritis, poor mobility and, blindness, are some of the conditions likely to be accepted.

Pension Age Disability Payment is tax-free and not means-tested. This means how much income you get from a private or State Pension, employment, savings or investments isn’t relevant for deciding if you can  get the payment.  

No matter what level of savings or investments you have - they will not affect the amount you might get.  

Need more information? You can visit mygov.scot to see the full details of how the payment worksOpens in a new window

If you think you might be able to get the payment but are still unsure – use the free eligibility checkerOpens in a new window on mygov.scot. In just a few minutes you will be able to see if it’s likely your claim will be successful.  

• Online:  Claiming Pension Age Disability Payment initially involves registering through myaccountOpens in a new window and submitting two separate parts of an application online. 

• Phone and paper:  You can call Social Security Scotland free on 0800 182 2222. They’re open from 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. They will help you start your application and send you a paper form for you to complete and return.

• If you are a sign language user: If you’re a British Sign Language user, you can use the Contact Scotland serviceOpens in a new window to contact Social Security Scotland.

The application process can feel daunting especially if it’s your first time claiming a benefit or if your illness or disability makes it even more difficult for you to complete paperwork .

 It is perfectly understandable if you’d prefer someone to help you apply.  That’s why you are allowed to get someone to apply for Pension Age Disability Payment for you.

This might be:

• a family member

• a friend

• someone else who helps you, such as a carer or support worker. Find out more on mygov.scot about how to choose the right personOpens in a new window

Working out what benefits you’re entitled to can be tricky. Find out where to get free expert advice online, face-to-face or over the phone. See our guide Where can I get help and advice about benefits.

Further help

• You can also call the Independent AgeOpens in a new window helpline on 0800 319 6789 (Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5.30pm) for help if you have difficulties making a claim, such as reading forms or understanding complex information.

• If you identify as disabled you can get help from VoiceAbility, a social security benefits advocacy serviceOpens in a new window in Scotland. There are two ways to get help from them: either by contacting Social Security ScotlandOpens in a new window and getting a referral or contacting VoiceAbilityOpens in a new window directly. 

If your health improves or gets worse or your need for help due to your disability changes you should let Social Security Scotland know. This is so they can change how much money you receive to the level of help you need. 

You can get extra help on thisOpens in a new window on Citizens Advice. If you don’t inform Socital Security Scotland, you risk missing out on extra help or needing to pay back money that you are no longer entitled to. See ‘How to report a change in circumstances’ in our guide Help managing your money if you receive benefits.   

If you’re unhappy with a decision about your benefits by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), Social Security Scotland or HMRC, it’s important to follow the right process – see our guide How to appeal a benefits decision.

If you are already entitled to   Attendance Allowance, Social Security Scotland will automatically move your benefit to the newer Pension Age Disability Payment without you having to do anything.

Social Security Scotland will write to you when your benefit starts moving and will write to you again when the move is complete. 

You’ll keep getting your regular Attendance Allowance payments from the DWP until your benefit moves and there will be no gap 

You’ll be paid the same amount when your benefit moves to Pension Age Disability Payment. For more information about moving from Attendance Allowance to PADPOpens in a new window visit Mygov.scot. 

If you’re around or above retirement age, there are a number of benefits you might be able to claim.

On top of your State Pension, you might be entitled to extra money to help with your heating in winter, free transport passes and other benefits. Visit our Benefits in retirement guide to see more.