Disability Benefits

Benefit Calculators

There are a number of benefit calculators to help you find out what you are entitled too:

Turn2Us - On-line form to estimate your benefits entitlement. It includes most major benefits. No registration is required.

Citizens Advice - Independent and anonymous benefit calculator. 

HMRC - The Government website provides a Tax Credits calculator. You cannot apply for Tax Credits on-line

Moneysavingexpert.com - Benefits Checklist tool. Also provides information on individual benefits

Benefits and Work

Benefits and Work is a subscription site that provides detailed guides to individual benefits including the Disability Living Allowance and the Employment and Support Allowance.

A one year subscrption of £19.45 gives unlimited access to all guides and the on-line forum.

There are some free resources if you register for their free newsletter. This includes a free on-line questionaire to assess yourself using the new ESA work capability assessment.

www.benefitsandwork.co.uk

Disability Living Allowance

There are a number of guides to help with applying for the Disability Living Allowance (DLA):

• Cerebra - have a good overview of DLA for children with tips on how to apply. You can download or request a paper copy of their step by step Guide to DLA.

• Disability Rights - factsheet on DLA

Please note: Disability Living Allowance has been replaced by Personal Independence Payments (PIP's) for individuals over 16 years. 

Disability Rights

Disability Rights is a national charity working to relieve poverty and improve living standards of disabled people. It was formed in January 2012 from three charities: Disability Alliance, RADAR and the National Centre for Independent Living.

It provides up-to-date information on all disability benefits for disabled people, their families, carers and professionals.

Every year it produces an update to it's Disability Rights Handbook containing everything you need to know about Government benefits and other related services for the disabled.

This and other useful publications can be purchased from the RADAR shop.

www.disabilityrightsuk.org

Employment Support Allowance (ESA)

Disability Alliance have produced an Easy Read Guide to the Employment Support Allowance.  It is free to download from the Mencap website.

A detailed factsheet on ESA is available from Disability Rights.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP)

The PIP is the disability benefit that replaces the Disability Living Allowance (DLA).

At present it only applies to new disabled claimants over 16 years.

Adults over 16 years whose DLA is coming up for renewal or who report changes will be reassessed under the PIP system.

Disability Rights has produced a FREE guide about PIP and how to make a claim.  An Easy Read version is available.