Disability premiums
Disability premiums are extra money that is added to your benefits because you are disabled.
There are 3 kinds of disability premium with different eligibility criteria:
Disability Premium
Severe Disability Premium
Enhanced Disability Premium
These are separate payments. You can receive more than 1 of these disability premiums.
Receiving Disability Premium can mean that you’re also eligible for Severe Disability Premium.
How much you receive will depend on which disability premium you get.
Benefits that are not eligible
You cannot get a disability premium added to either:
- contributory Employment and Support Allowance
- Universal Credit
Moving to Universal Credit
If you are receiving a disability premium, it will stop when you start receiving Universal Credit.
You cannot start claiming disability premiums if you are receiving Universal Credit.
You may be eligible for transitional protection payments if you either:
- were receiving Severe Disability Premium and have a change in circumstances like moving house or
- the DWP sends you a letter to say that they are putting you through ‘managed migration’ and you will need to make a new claim for Universal Credit
If you were receiving Severe Disability Premium, you should be eligible for transitional protection payments when you move to Universal Credit. But when these stop, your income will probably be lower.
Who qualifies
You may be able to receive disability premiums with the following benefits:
- Income Support
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Housing Benefit
Joint claim for Jobseeker's Allowance
If you and your partner have a joint claim for Jobseeker’s Allowance, there are other ways that you may qualify for the Disability Premium. Contact the Scope helpline for advice.
Find out what benefits you are receiving
Contact Jobcentre Plus to find out what benefits you are receiving.
How to claim
Contact the office for the benefit you are claiming. Tell them that you think you are eligible for a disability premium:
- Income Support (GOV.UK)
- Income-related ESA (GOV.UK)
- Income-based JSA (GOV.UK)
- for Housing Benefit, you must contact your local authority (GOV.UK)
Backdating your claim
Find out if you are eligible. Contact either the DWP or your local authority to get your claim backdated.
Disability Premium
You must be under State Pension age.
If you’re eligible, you can add Disability Premium to:
Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
Housing Benefit
Income Support
You cannot add Disability Premium to your income-related Employment and Support Allowance.
To qualify for Disability Premium, you also have to be claiming 1 of these benefits:
Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
Armed Forces Independence Payment (AFIP)
Working Tax Credit with a disability element
Attendance Allowance
Constant Attendance Allowance
War Pensioners Mobility Supplement
Severe Disablement Allowance
Incapacity Benefit
When to get advice
Get advice if you are in a couple and claiming both income-related ESA and Housing Benefit.
When you are not eligible
You cannot claim Disability Premium if you or your partner are already getting Pensioner Premium. Pensioner Premium is more than Disability Premium.
Severe Disability Premium
To be eligible, you must be getting either:
- income-related ESA, or
- Disability Premium, which can be added to Income Support, Income-based JSA or Housing Benefit
Also, you must also to be claiming any 1 of the following benefits:
PIP daily living component
DLA care component at the middle or highest rate
Constant Attendance Allowance paid with Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit or War Pension
If you live with someone, including your child
You usually have to live alone to be eligible for Severe Disability Premium.
But you can still be eligible if all the people you live with meet any 1 of the following criteria. The criteria are the same if:
- someone moves in with you, or
- you move in with someone else
The eligibility criteria are:
under 18
18 to 19, part of your family and are a qualifying young person
receiving the PIP daily living component
a commercial tenant, lodger or landlord who is not a relative
receiving DLA care component at the middle or highest rate
receiving Attendance Allowance
receiving Constant Attendance Allowance paid with Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit or War Pension
receiving Armed Forces Independence Payment
certified severely sight impaired or blind
a live-in carer employed by a charitable or voluntary body, if you pay a wage for the service
Warning Carer’s Allowance or carer element of Universal Credit
You cannot claim Severe Disability Premium if a person supporting you is receiving either:
the carer element of Universal Credit
When to get advice
Get advice if you live with someone who is a close relative and any of the following apply:
they jointly own your home
they are jointly responsible for paying the rent or mortgage
Check with an adviser if you are eligible for Severe Disability Premium.
Enhanced Disability Premium
You must be under State Pension age.
You must get either:
- Disability Premium or
- income-related ESA
You must also be receiving 1 of the following benefits:
PIP daily living component at the higher ‘enhanced’ rate
DLA care component at the highest rate
You can also get Enhanced Disability Premium if you are in the Support Group for income-related ESA. This would happen if your Work Capability Assessment says you have limited capability for work-related activity.
If you or your child have moved from Scotland to either England or Wales, the rules might be different. Get advice.
When you are not eligible
You are not eligible for Enhanced Disability Premium if you or your partner are receiving Pensioner Premium.
Pensioner Premium is more than Enhanced Disability Premium.
Last reviewed by Scope on: 31/01/2022
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