Additional benefits
DLA is not normally taken into account against any other benefits or tax credits you receive; nor is it affected by any other income or savings.
Exceptions
Constant Attendance Allowance (CAA) and War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement (WPMS) are exceptions because they are equivalent benefits to DLA, but paid under the war pensions or industrial injuries schemes: if you are entitled to CAA or WPMS you will normally receive that instead of DLA.
Income-related benefits
Receipt of either component at any rate acts as a passport to the disability premium or the disabled child premium in Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit.
The severe disability premium may be included in the assessment of benefit for someone who gets the highest or middle rate of the care component, provided Carer’s Allowance is not payable to their carer.
The enhanced disability premium may be included for a person under 60 who gets the highest rate of the care component and satisfies the other conditions.
People getting JSA can be exempt from having to be available for work full time if they have caring responsibilities. People living in the household of a person getting any rate of the care component are exempt from paying non-dependants’ contributions towards that person’s Housing Benefit.
Pension Credit
An extra amount for severe disability may be included in the assessment of Pension Credit for someone who gets the highest or middle rate of the care component, provided Carer’s Allowance is not payable to their carer.
Child Tax Credit
An extra amount may be included in your Child Tax Credit award for any child within your family who gets either component of DLA, or is registered blind, or who has been taken off the blind register in the last 28 weeks. It is paid in addition to the child element for that child.
You may also be awarded a severe disability element for each child in your family who gets the highest rate of the care component of DLA. This is paid in addition to the child element and the disability element for that child.
Road Tax Exemption
If you get the higher-rate mobility component you, or your appointee or nominee, can apply for exemption from vehicle excise duty (road tax). For further information, you can get leaflet V188 “Exemption from Vehicle Excise Duty for disabled people” from main Post Offices® branches.
Carer’s Allowance
Payable to people caring for someone receiving the highest or middle rate of the care component.
Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP)
Carers’ contribution records are protected if they are regularly caring, throughout a tax year, for someone receiving the highest or middle rate of the care component.