What you need to apply for Adult Disability Payment

You can choose to apply for Adult Disability Payment online or by phone and paper. There are 2 parts to the Adult Disability Payment application.

Completing part 1

Part 1 asks for your personal details.

It will help you to complete part 1 if you have:

• your personal details, such as date of birth and main address
• your National Insurance number - you can find this on your National Insurance card, a social security letter, payslip, P60 or P45
• your bank, building society or credit union account details

You can still apply for Adult Disability Payment if you do not have a bank, building society or credit union account. If your application is successful, you’ll need to contact Social Security Scotland to agree how you want them to pay you.

If you have been outside the Common Travel Area at any time in the last year, you'll need to tell Social Security Scotland when you were away, and why. This is so they can consider your application for Adult Disability Payment in the right way.

If you live in a European Economic Area (EEA) country, Switzerland or Gibraltar, Social Security Scotland need to ask about residency details to make a decision on your application.

Completing part 2

Part 2 asks you about:

• your condition and how it affects your ability to look after yourself, understand information, and communicate with other people
• what help and support you need and why
• how you move around outdoors
• any medication, treatment or equipment you need

It can take a long time to complete part 2 but you do not have to do it all at once.

It will help you to complete part 2 if you have:

• information about your condition or your symptoms, if you're still waiting for a diagnosis
• information about any medical tests you have had, and the results if you have them
• contact details for your GP
• contact details for anyone else who could give more information about your condition, such as a family member or someone who looks after you

Questions you'll be asked

You can download documents showing the questions you’ll be asked when applying for Adult Disability Payment. They’re for reference only and you should not use them to make an application.

Supporting information

Supporting information is information that describes how your condition currently affects you and what support you need. Social Security Scotland uses supporting information to help them understand your application and make a decision.

You can provide any information you think will be helpful, however supporting information is usually copies of documents that you may have already, for example:

• social care assessments
• medical reports, letters or certificates
• prescription lists that show the medication you take
• test results

You can provide documents or Social Security Scotland can gather information on your behalf.

When you’re ready to submit part 2 of your application, remember to send us any supporting information you already have. This will help us to make a decision more quickly. If Social Security Scotland are waiting on information from you, it may take longer to make a decision about your application.

Find out more about supporting information for Adult Disability Payment.

How long you have to apply

Once you have completed part 1 of the Adult Disability Payment application, you must complete part 2 within 56 days (eight weeks).

If you're applying online, you can save your application and continue when it suits you within the eight-week period.

You can ask Social Security Scotland for more time to complete part 2 if you need it. You do not have to give a reason.

You do not need to wait until you have supporting information before you submit part 2 of your application. You can submit part 2 and then send supporting information afterwards.

You and your data

If you want to know more about how Social Security Scotland uses your data, you can read the privacy notice.