How to Apply for Child DLA: Phone, Post, and Online Options

The Three Routes to a Child DLA Claim

There is no fully online application for child DLA in England and Wales. The claim form — DLA1 Child (ALT) — is a paper form that must be completed, signed, and posted. But there are different ways to get that form and different implications for your claim date.

Phone Claim (Recommended)

Call the DLA helpline on 0800 121 4600 (Monday to Friday, 7:30am to 6:30pm). The call is free. If you use Relay UK, dial 18001 followed by 0800 121 4600.

When you call, the DWP records your request and posts out a claim pack. The date of your phone call becomes the statutory Date of Claim, provided you return the completed form within 6 calendar weeks.

This is the recommended route because it locks in the earliest possible claim date. If the claim is eventually awarded, payments are calculated from that phone call date — not from when the DWP receives the form or makes a decision.

You can request accessible formats during the call, including Large Print, Braille, or Audio CD. Welsh-language forms (DLA1W) are available on request. Translation and interpreter services are free.

Downloading the Form

You can download the DLA1 Child (ALT) form as an interactive PDF from GOV.UK. You fill it in on screen (or print and complete by hand), then post the signed form to: Freepost DWP DLA Child (no stamp or postcode needed).

The Date of Claim for a downloaded form is the date the DWP receives it — not the date you downloaded the PDF. This means you lose any time between downloading and posting. If you use this route, post the form as soon as possible and consider using tracked delivery to prove the date of receipt.

Downloading the PDF is not the same as making an online application. There is no digital submission portal for child DLA.

Northern Ireland

If your child lives in Northern Ireland, contact the Disability and Carers Service or visit a local Jobs and Benefits office to request form DLA1 Child. You can also download the form from nidirect.gov.uk or email [email protected] to request a copy.

The date of initial contact sets the Date of Claim if the form is returned within 6 weeks — the same 6-week rule as the phone route in England and Wales.

Scotland

Scotland replaced child DLA with Child Disability Payment (CDP), administered by Social Security Scotland. CDP does have an online application option through Social Security Scotland's portal. If your child is resident in Scotland, contact Social Security Scotland on 0800 182 2222 — the DWP's DLA process doesn't apply.

Tips for the Phone Call

The helpline call is administrative — they're taking your details and posting a form, not assessing your claim. You don't need evidence or medical details ready. Have the following to hand:

• Your child's full name, date of birth, and address
• Your name and relationship to the child
• Your child's NHS number (helpful but not essential)
• A pen to note down any reference number given

The call takes about 10 minutes. The claim pack typically arrives within a week.

What to Do While Waiting for the Form

Once you've called and secured your claim date, use the waiting time to start a care diary, gather medical letters, and request educational evidence from your child's school or nursery.

Our Child DLA Claim Guide walks through the full preparation process — from the first phone call through form completion and evidence assembly — so nothing gets missed in the 6-week window.

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