If you're an adviser, you might like to try our Welfare Rights search.
Adult disability payment (ADP) is a benefit for working-age adults in Scotland who have extra care needs or mobility difficulties because of a disability.
Universal credit is now the only working-age, means-tested benefit for people in Scotland and throughout the UK.
‘Kinship care’ is the situation in which a child goes to live with a member of their extended family or with a family friend. This course looks at benefit issues that arise for kinship carers.
Claim adult disability payment (ADP) online at mygov.scot/adult-disability-payment/how-to-apply or phone 0800 182 2222 to ask for a paper claim form to be sent to you. Claims cannot be backdated, so claim as soon as you think you qualify.
The claim is in two parts. If you phone, some basic information is taken from you to complete part one. You are then sent a form on which to give more information about your condition and how it affects you. You must normally return this form within eight weeks. If you claim online you have two weeks to complete part one and a further eight weeks to complete part two. You can ask for the eight weeks to be extended.
A determination on your claim should be made within eight to 10 weeks.
ADP is usually paid directly into your bank account, and it is paid every four weeks in arrears.
If you think a decision (’determination’) about your adult disability payment (ADP) is wrong, you can ask Social Security Scotland (SSS) to look at it again. This process is known as a ‘redetermination’. Note: this could result in a reduction of your benefit if you have an award of ADP, so seek advice. The time limit for requesting a redetermination is 42 days from the date of the determination. SSS then has 56 days to notify you of the new determination. If you are still not happy when you get this notice, you can appeal to the independent First-tier Tribunal for Scotland. If it was not possible to ask SSS to redetermine the determination within the time limit, but you ask for a redetermination within one year of the determination, this can be considered as long as you have ‘good reason’ for lateness.1 You can also ask SSS to look at a determination again at any time if certain grounds are met – eg, if there has been a change in your circumstances.
If your ADP ends or reduces (eg, after a review), you can apply for short-term assistance while you apply for a redetermination. This is a temporary, non-repayable payment while your redetermination or appeal is pending.
s41(4)(b) SS(S)A 2018
If you get adult disability payment (ADP) and are a student, this may help you to be eligible for universal credit (see here). It can also allow you to continue to get income-related employment and support allowance and housing benefit (HB) as a student, although new claims are only possible for HB and then only in limited circumstances (see here).
If you claim other benefits, make sure the office dealing with your claim knows you get ADP, as it may qualify you for additional amounts in these.
If you, your partner or a young person you are responsible for get ADP, you are exempt from the benefit cap (see here and here).
Carer support payment (CSP) is a new Scottish benefit, which replaces carer’s allowance (CA).
CSP is for people who spend at least 35 hours a week looking after a disabled person (an adult or child).1 The disabled person must be getting a qualifying disability benefit: attendance allowance, pension age disability payment, the middle or highest rate of the child disability payment/disability living allowance/Scottish adult disability living allowance care component, either rate of the daily living component of adult disability payment/personal independence payment, armed forces independence payment or constant attendance allowance in certain cases. The amount of CSP you get is not means tested and your student loan, grant or other income does not affect it. Most students are eligible for CSP.
Additional benefits for carers
The Scottish government pays a CA supplement to people living in Scotland who get CSP (see here). This is paid as a lump sum every six months (£293.50 in 2025). From March 2026 it will change to Scottish carer supplement and will be paid alongside CSP.
A payment for carers of more than one disabled person is being introduced in March 2026 (see here).
A one-off young carer grant is available for young carers who cannot get CSP (see here).
See cpag.org.uk/scottish-benefits for more information on these payments.
Reg 5(2) CSP Regs
