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There is a wide range of disability-related financial support, including benefits, tax credits, payments, grants and concessions.

Some benefits you might get are:

• Universal Credit
• Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
• Attendance Allowance
• New Style Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)

Depending on your circumstances, you might also be able to get:

• Industrial Injuries Benefit if you鈥檙e disabled as a result of work
• Constant Attendance Allowance if you need daily care and attention because of a disability

Vehicles and transport

If you鈥檙e disabled you can apply for the following:

• exemption from paying vehicle tax
• parking benefits - Blue Badge
• disabled persons bus pass or
• help to buy or lease a car from the

Home and housing

If you鈥檝e been assessed by your local council as needing care and support services, you can get:

• - allowing you to buy in and arrange help yourself instead of getting it directly from social services
• Disabled Facilities Grants - which is money towards the costs of home adaptations to enable you to continue living there

If you鈥檙e on a low income

You may be eligible for Universal Credit and could get help with housing costs.

If not, check if you鈥檙e eligible for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction from your local council.

Help if you鈥檙e employed

You may be able to top up a low salary by claiming Universal Credit.

You also might be able to get an Access to Work grant to pay for:

• special equipment, adaptations or support worker services to help you do things like answer the phone or go to meetings
• help getting to and from work
• mental health support
• communication support at a job interview (for example, a British Sign Language interpreter or a lipspeaker)

VAT relief on certain goods and services

You do not have to pay VAT on certain goods and services if they鈥檙e just for your own use and you鈥檙e disabled or have a long term illness.

Armed forces compensation

You may be able to get compensation if you鈥檝e been injured or disabled while serving in the armed forces.

Disability Living Allowance for children

Disability Living Allowance for children (DLA) is a tax-free benefit for children under 16 to help with the extra costs caused by long-term ill health or a disability.

Disability Living Allowance for adults

Personal Independence Payment is gradually replacing DLA for adults with long-term ill health or a disability. If you鈥檝e reached State Pension age you can apply for Attendance Allowance instead.

Personal Independence Payment

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is a tax-free benefit for people aged 16 or over who have not reached State Pension age. It can help with the extra costs caused by long term ill-health or a disability.

Attendance Allowance

Attendance Allowance is a tax-free benefit for people who are State Pension age or over, have a disability and need someone to help look after them.

Employment and Support Allowance

You may be able to get New Style Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) if you cannot work because of illness or disability.

Carers

Carer鈥檚 Allowance is extra money to help you look after someone with substantial caring needs.

You could also get Carer鈥檚 Credit so there will not be any gaps in your National Insurance record if you have to take on caring responsibilities.

You鈥檒l need to meet the legal obligations for drivers before you can drive.

Blue Badge parking scheme

The Blue Badge scheme provides a range of parking benefits for disabled people with severe walking difficulties who travel either as drivers or as passengers.

Vehicle tax exemption

Eligibility

You can apply for exemption from paying vehicle tax if you get the:

• higher rate mobility component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
• enhanced rate mobility component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
• enhanced rate mobility component of
• higher rate mobility component of
• War Pensioners鈥� Mobility Supplement
• Armed Forces Independence Payment

The vehicle must be registered in the disabled person鈥檚 name or their nominated driver鈥檚 name.

It must only be used for the disabled person鈥檚 personal needs. It cannot be used by the nominated driver for their own personal use.

How to claim

You claim the exemption when you apply for vehicle tax.

If you鈥檙e claiming for a vehicle for the first time, you have to claim at a Post Office. You must do this every time you change your vehicle.

Vehicle tax reduction

Eligibility

You can get a 50% reduction in vehicle tax if you get the:

• PIP standard rate mobility component

The vehicle should be registered in the disabled person鈥檚 name or their nominated driver鈥檚 name.

How to claim

You must include the following with your application:

• a letter or statement from the Department for Work and Pensions that shows your PIP rate and the dates you鈥檙e getting it - if you鈥檙e getting PIP
• an ADP decision letter from Social Security Scotland that shows your mobility component rate and the dates you鈥檙e getting it - if you鈥檙e getting ADP
• the vehicle log book (V5C)
• a V10 form
• evidence of a current MOT, if you need one - for example, a copy of your vehicle鈥檚 MOT history or your MOT certificate, if you have one
• an original goods vehicle testing (GVT) certificate, if you need one
• a cheque or payable order (made out to 鈥�DVLA, Swansea鈥�) for 50% of the full rate of car tax for the vehicle
• an insurance certificate or cover note (if you live in Northern Ireland)

If you鈥檝e just bought the vehicle and it鈥檚 not registered in your name yet, you鈥檒l need to complete a V62 form and include the green 鈥榥ew keeper鈥� slip from the log book with your application.

Send the documents to:

If the vehicle is not registered to you or the nominated driver

When you make your application you will need to include a signed letter from the vehicle鈥檚 registered keeper. This needs to say:聽

• how they know you
• how the vehicle will be used, for example picking up your prescription or shopping聽

The Motability Scheme

The can help you with leasing a car, powered wheelchair or scooter. You鈥檒l need to be getting one of the following:

• higher rate of the mobility component of DLA
• higher rate of the mobility component of Child Disability Payment
• War Pensioners鈥� Mobility Supplement
• Armed Forces Independence Payment
• enhanced rate of the mobility component of PIP
• enhanced rate mobility component of Adult Disability Payment

VAT relief for vehicles

You may not have to pay VAT on having a vehicle adapted to suit your condition, or on the lease of a Motability vehicle - this is known as VAT relief.

Community and public transport

Your local council may operate dial-a-ride or taxi schemes, for example, using vouchers or tokens. You may also be eligible for a bus pass, a or both.

Direct Payments - arranging your own care and services

If you鈥檝e been assessed by your local council as needing care and support services, you may want to choose . They allow you to buy in and arrange help yourself instead of receiving it directly from your local council.

Disabled Facilities Grants

Disabled Facilities Grants are local council grants. It helps towards the cost of essential adaptations to your home to enable you to continue to live there.

Council Tax Disabled Band Reduction Scheme

You may be entitled to a reduction in your Council Tax bill if your home has certain features that are essential to you living there.

Contact your local council to apply for Council Tax Disabled Band Reduction.

If you鈥檙e on a low income

Universal Credit

If you鈥檙e eligible for Universal Credit you could get help paying for your housing.

Housing Benefit

Housing Benefit is being replaced by Universal Credit. Most people will need to claim Universal Credit instead.

Check if you鈥檙e eligible for Housing Benefit before you apply.

You may also get a Council Tax Reduction from your local council.

Universal Credit

You may be able to get Universal Credit if you鈥檙e on a low income or out of work.

Check if you鈥檙e eligible for Universal Credit.

Jobseeker鈥檚 Allowance (JSA)

You may be able to claim New Style JSA.

You鈥檒l need to have worked as an employee and paid Class 1 National Insurance contributions, usually in the last 2 to 3 years. National Insurance credits can also count.

You will not be eligible if you were self-employed and only paid Class 2 National Insurance contributions, unless you were working as a share fisherman or a volunteer development worker.

You鈥檒l also need to take reasonable steps to look for work.

Check if you鈥檙e eligible for New Style JSA.

Blind Person鈥檚 Allowance

The Blind Person鈥檚 Allowance allows you to receive an amount of income without having to pay tax. It鈥檚 added to your personal tax allowance.

You can get 50% off the cost of your TV licence if either:

• you鈥檙e registered blind or severely sight impaired
• you live with someone who is registered blind or severely sight impaired

If the person who is registered blind is not the current licence holder for your address, you鈥檒l need to transfer the licence to their name.

You can either:

• - you鈥檒l need your licence number
• contact TV Licensing to transfer the licence

How to apply

To claim the TV licence concession for blind people, you鈥檒l need to get a certificate from your local authority or ophthalmologist stating that you are registered blind or severely sight impaired.

In Northern Ireland, the certificate or document must be issued by or on behalf of a Health and Social Services Trust. On the Isle of Man, it must be issued by or on behalf of the Department for Health and Social Services.

Post a copy of the certificate along with your licence renewal notice - if you have one - and a cheque or postal order for the licence to:

Remember to include your name, address, phone number and TV licence number, if you have one.

If you鈥檙e disabled or have a long-term illness, you will not be charged VAT on products designed or adapted for your own personal or domestic use. Also, you will not be charged VAT on:

• the installation and any extra work needed as part of this
• repairs or maintenance
• spare parts or accessories

Qualifying products or services

Your supplier can tell you, but usually products designed or adapted for a disability qualify. For example, certain types of:

• adjustable beds
• stair lifts
• wheelchairs
• medical appliances to help with severe injuries
• alarms
• braille paper or low vision aids - but not spectacles or contact lenses
• motor vehicles - or the leasing of a motability vehicle
• building work like ramps, widening doors, installing a lift or toilet

How to get the product VAT free

To get the product VAT free your disability has to qualify. For VAT purposes, you鈥檙e disabled or have a long-term illness if:

• you have a physical or mental impairment that affects your ability to carry out everyday activities, for example blindness
• you have a condition that鈥檚 treated as chronic sickness, like diabetes
• you鈥檙e terminally ill

You do not qualify if you鈥檙e elderly but not disabled, or if you鈥檙e temporarily disabled.

You鈥檒l need to confirm in writing that you meet these conditions. Your supplier may give you a form for this.

Help from your council

You can apply to your council for equipment or help to adapt your home if you have a disability.

Importing goods

You do not pay VAT if you import qualifying goods that are for your own personal or domestic use. This includes certain goods for blind and partially sighted people.

If you use a freight service they can help you with the paperwork, otherwise make sure the following is written on parcel, 鈥楪oods for disabled people: relief claimed鈥�.

If you bring them in yourself, declare them in the red channel at Customs. For any other method of import, contact the National Import Reliefs Unit.

Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit

You may be entitled to get Industrial Injuries Benefit if you鈥檙e disabled as a result of:

• an accident at work
• a disease
• deafness caused by work

Constant Attendance Allowance

You can claim Constant Attendance Allowance if you need daily care and attention because of a disability and you claim Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit.

You can claim for compensation if while serving in the armed forces:

• you got an injury or illness
• an existing condition you had was made worse

Constant Attendance Allowance

You can also apply for Constant Attendance Allowance if you need daily care for a disability.