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If your Disability Living Allowance (DLA) has started moving to Adult Disability Payment

Moving from Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to Adult Disability Payment

Last updated
24 Mar 2025

From 21 March 2025, all adults still in receipt of DLA will have their benefit moved to Scottish Adult DLA. Your benefit will move sometime before December 2025. Find out more about moving to Scottish Adult DLA.

The information in this guide applies to you if you’ve got letters from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) or Social Security Scotland before 21 March 2025, confirming that your benefit is moving to Adult Disability Payment. 

Which DLA awards are moving to Adult Disability Payment

If you were born on or after 8 April 1948, your DLA award may have started moving to Adult Disability Payment.

Your benefit will have started moving to Adult Disability Payment if before 21 March 2025:

  • you lived in Scotland
  • you reported a change to your disability or health condition
  • you asked to move to Adult Disability Payment
  • your DLA award ended or renewed

If your DLA started moving to Adult Disability Payment before 21 March 2025, this happened so your disability or health condition could be reviewed against Adult Disability Payment instead of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) with DWP. 

If you have not got a letter from DWP or Social Security Scotland yet, your benefit will move automatically to Scottish Adult DLA sometime before December 2025.

What happens during the move to Adult Disability Payment

You’ll keep getting your regular DLA payments until your benefit has completed the move. After Social Security Scotland moves your benefit, they’ll pay you an interim Adult Disability Payment award. This will be the same amount as your DLA. There will be no gaps in payment.

Social Security Scotland will not reassess or review your award during the move. 

After the move, Social Security Scotland will begin to review your award based on your current circumstances. This may affect your payment.

Your benefit will move automatically

Social Security Scotland and DWP are working together to move your benefit to Adult Disability Payment. You do not need to do anything. 

This means that you do not have to end your DLA or apply for a new Social Security Scotland benefit.

Get support from an independent advocate

Independent advocates are available to help you with the process of having your benefit moved to Social Security Scotland.

The Independent Advocacy Service is provided by VoiceAbility.

If you need an advocate, you should:

  • contact Social Security Scotland
  • ask them to refer you to the Independent Advocacy Service

Contact Social Security Scotland:

  • free on 0800 182 2222
  • webchat
  • Text Relay Service on 18001 +0300 244 4000

British Sign Language users can use the Contact Scotland service.

You can also contact VoiceAbility direct:

Get this information in other formats

You can call Social Security Scotland free on 0800 182 2222. Opening times are 8am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.

Find out what to do if you need help contacting Social Security Scotland, or are calling from abroad.

If you're a British Sign Language user, you can use the  Contact Scotland BSL app to contact Social Security Scotland by video call.

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