Financial help and benefits for disabled people in Scotland

If you are disabled, you may be entitled to benefits and financial support. This page explains what help is available.

What disability benefits can I claim?

Disability benefits

Disability benefits in Scotland are not means-tested, which means your entitlement isn't affected by how much money you have. Instead, the amount of benefit you receive will depend on how severe your disability is.

• If you need help with day-to-day tasks because of a mental illness or physical disability, you may be able to get personal independence payments or attendance allowance (if you're 65 and over).

• If you can't work because you are disabled, you may be able to claim employment and support allowance, 

• If you've been injured in an accident at work, you may be entitled to industrial injuries disablement benefit and constant attendance allowance.

• If you were injured and disabled while serving in the army, you may be entitled to war disablement pension/armed forces compensation scheme and constant attendance allowance.

Universal Credit

If you are on a low income, you may be able to claim Universal Credit

Carers

If you have a carer, they may be able to claim carer's allowance. You can find out more about financial help for carers here.

Social fund

You may also be able to get a community care grant, a budgeting loan or a crisis grants from the social fund to help you set up home.

Getting help with benefits

Working out which benefits you can claim can be complicated - and filling in the forms can be worse! So it's a good idea to get some help from a Citizens Advice Bureau, welfare rights agency or a disability advice service. 

An adviser can help you:

• find out what you're entitled to

• fill in the forms

• sort out any problems with your benefits.

Financial help and support for disabled people

You may be able to get help to pay for housing support and other care costs, including self-directed support (direct payments), so you can arrange and pay for your own care services. The section on paying for support has more information.

In addition, depending on your situation, you may be entitled to additional financial support, such as:

• support from the independent living fund

• council tax discounts

• help to pay for adaptations

• help with heating bills

• free NHS prescriptions, dental care and hospital travel costs

• blind person's tax allowance and television licence discount

• discounts on public transport, hiring or buying a car and parking

• car tax exemption.

Visit Gov.uk to find out more.