Help if you're on a low income

You could get extra help if you or someone who lives with you gets any of these:

• Adult Disability Payment
• Child Disability Payment
• Pension Age Disability Payment
• Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance (Scottish Adult DLA)

Employment support

You may be able to get extra payments from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). These are called disability premiums.

If you’re eligible, you’ll get an extra amount on top of your normal payment. You’ll still get your usual disability payment from Social Security Scotland too.

You may be eligible if you get something from both of these lists:

• any of these Social Security Scotland benefits:
  • Adult Disability Payment
  • Child Disability Payment
  • Pension Age Disability Payment
  • Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance (Scottish Adult DLA)
• any of these from DWP:
  • Employment and Support Allowance
  • Housing benefit
  • Income Support
  • Jobseeker’s Allowance
  • Universal Credit

You should contact the Department for Work and Pensions to tell them about your disability benefit.

Tax credits

Tax credits ended on 5 April 2025. You could still get a payment from HMRC if both:

• Social Security Scotland backdates your disability benefit to a time when you got tax credits
• you tell HMRC within 1 month of getting your new decision

Christmas Bonus

Christmas Bonus is a tax-free £10 payment. It’s paid before Christmas to anyone who gets certain benefits during the first full week of December. You do not have to apply. It’ll be paid automatically if you’re eligible. Find out more about Christmas Bonus

Pension Credit 

Pension Credit gives you extra money to help with your living costs if you’re over State Pension Age and on a low income. You might get extra help if you’re a carer, severely disabled, or responsible for a child or young person. Find out more about the top-up amounts of Pension Credit.

For more information on how to apply, contact the Pension Service.

If you get Pension Credit you could have access to other help, such as:

• Housing Benefit
• Winter Heating Payment or Pension Age Winter Heating Payment
• Support for Mortgage Interest if you own the property you live in
• a Council Tax discount
• a free TV licence if you’re aged 75 or over
• help with NHS dental treatment, glasses and transport costs for hospital appointments, if you get a certain type of Pension Credit
• help with your heating costs through the Warm Home Discount Scheme
• a discount on the Royal Mail redirection service if you’re moving house