The Short Answer
In 2026/27 adult DLA pays its care component at £30.30, £76.70 or £114.60 a week and its mobility component at £30.30 or £80.00 a week. The rates rise each April, and every week of DLA back pay is priced at the rate for its own benefit year. DLA is paid every 4 weeks, so one payment at the middle care rate is £306.80. New adult claims are closed: these are the rates for existing awards and for DLA-to-PIP moves.
Last checked:
Key facts
| Fact | Figure | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| DLA care component a week (2026/27) | £30.30, £76.70 or £114.60 | GOV.UK | 30 September 2026 |
| DLA mobility component a week (2026/27) | £30.30 or £80.00 | GOV.UK | 30 September 2026 |
| Most adult DLA pays a week (2026/27) | £194.60 | GOV.UK | 30 September 2026 |
| Who keeps adult DLA | People born on or before 8 April 1948 | GOV.UK | 30 September 2026 |
| How often DLA is paid | Usually every 4 weeks on a Wednesday | GOV.UK | 30 September 2026 |
What Are the DLA Rates for 2026/27?
The five adult DLA rates for 2026/27 are £114.60, £76.70 and £30.30 for the care component and £80.00 and £30.30 for the mobility component. A DLA award holds at least one component, and each component is paid at one band. These are the rates the DWP pays in England and Wales. Adult DLA claims in Scotland have moved to Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance, and new adult claims in Scotland are for Adult Disability Payment.
| Component and rate | A week | Every 4 weeks | A month on average | A year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Care, highest | £114.60 | £458.40 | £496.60 | £5,959.20 |
| Care, middle | £76.70 | £306.80 | £332.37 | £3,988.40 |
| Care, lowest | £30.30 | £121.20 | £131.30 | £1,575.60 |
| Mobility, higher | £80.00 | £320.00 | £346.67 | £4,160.00 |
| Mobility, lower | £30.30 | £121.20 | £131.30 | £1,575.60 |
| Highest care and higher mobility together | £194.60 | £778.40 | £843.27 | £10,119.20 |
DLA is paid every 4 weeks, so the monthly figure spreads 52 weeks across 12 months.
Last checked:
Source: Benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027
GOV.UK sets out which band matches which level of need. The descriptions below are its wording, with the 2026/27 weekly amount for each band.
| Component and rate | A week | Level of help (GOV.UK) |
|---|---|---|
| Care, highest | £114.60 | Help or supervision throughout both day and night, or a medical professional has said you are nearing the end of life |
| Care, middle | £76.70 | Frequent help or constant supervision during the day, supervision at night, or someone to help you while on dialysis |
| Care, lowest | £30.30 | Help for some of the day or with preparing cooked meals |
| Mobility, higher | £80.00 | Any other, more severe, walking difficulty |
| Mobility, lower | £30.30 | Guidance or supervision outdoors |
Last checked:
The two components add together. The highest care rate and the higher mobility rate together pay £194.60 a week, which is £778.40 every 4 weeks. DLA is tax free, and GOV.UK lists it among the state benefits that carry no Income Tax.
How Much Is the DLA Middle Rate Care Component?
The DLA middle rate care component is £76.70 a week in 2026/27, or £306.80 every 4 weeks. It rose by £2.80 a week from £73.90 in 2025/26. GOV.UK ties the middle rate to frequent help or constant supervision during the day, supervision at night, or help while on dialysis. The weekly amount equals the PIP standard daily living rate for the same year, which is a cash match rather than an equivalent award.
Last checked:
How Much Is Higher Rate DLA Mobility?
Higher rate DLA mobility is £80.00 a week in 2026/27, or £320.00 every 4 weeks. GOV.UK pays the higher rate for more severe walking difficulty, and the lower rate of £30.30 for guidance or supervision outdoors. The higher rate is a qualifying award for Motability: the scheme accepts the higher rate mobility part of DLA with at least 12 months left on the award. The lower mobility rate and the care component do not qualify.
Last checked:
What Were the DLA Rates in Previous Years?
Adult DLA rates for 2022/23 to 2025/26 ranged from £24.45 to £110.40 a week, and each year's rates apply only to the weeks inside that benefit year. The table gives all five bands for 2026/27 and the four years before it, weekly with the 4-weekly payment beneath, and the DWP publication for each year.
| Component and rate | 2026/27 | 2025/26 | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Care, highest | £114.60 a week£458.40 every 4 weeks | £110.40 a week£441.60 every 4 weeks | £108.55 a week£434.20 every 4 weeks | £101.75 a week£407.00 every 4 weeks | £92.40 a week£369.60 every 4 weeks |
| Care, middle | £76.70 a week£306.80 every 4 weeks | £73.90 a week£295.60 every 4 weeks | £72.65 a week£290.60 every 4 weeks | £68.10 a week£272.40 every 4 weeks | £61.85 a week£247.40 every 4 weeks |
| Care, lowest | £30.30 a week£121.20 every 4 weeks | £29.20 a week£116.80 every 4 weeks | £28.70 a week£114.80 every 4 weeks | £26.90 a week£107.60 every 4 weeks | £24.45 a week£97.80 every 4 weeks |
| Mobility, higher | £80.00 a week£320.00 every 4 weeks | £77.05 a week£308.20 every 4 weeks | £75.75 a week£303.00 every 4 weeks | £71.00 a week£284.00 every 4 weeks | £64.50 a week£258.00 every 4 weeks |
| Mobility, lower | £30.30 a week£121.20 every 4 weeks | £29.20 a week£116.80 every 4 weeks | £28.70 a week£114.80 every 4 weeks | £26.90 a week£107.60 every 4 weeks | £24.45 a week£97.80 every 4 weeks |
| Source | DWP rates 2026 to 2027 | DWP rates 2026 to 2027 | DWP rates 2024 to 2025 | DWP rates 2024 to 2025 | DWP rates 2023 to 2024 |
Last checked:
Source: DWP benefit and pension rates publications, 2023 to 2027
The 2025/26 rates were £110.40, £73.90 and £29.20 for care and £77.05 and £29.20 for mobility. The 2022/23 rates were £92.40, £61.85 and £24.45 for care and £64.50 and £24.45 for mobility. People born after 8 April 1948 leave DLA through the process described in DLA to PIP, so past rows matter most for arrears that reach back into those years. Scottish claimants see the equivalent figures under ADP rates. PIP's own history, back to 2013/14, is in PIP Rates by Year.
Last checked:
When Do DLA Rates Change?
DLA rates change once a year at the April uprating: the 2026/27 rates took effect in April 2026, and the next uprating is due in April 2027. The 2027/28 figures had not been published when this page was checked. The uprating is applied to awards in payment, so no claim or form is needed for a new rate. How the yearly rise is set is explained under April uprating.
Last checked:
How DLA Rates Are Used to Work Out DLA Back Pay
DLA back pay is worked out week by week at the DLA rate for the benefit year each week falls in, so arrears that cross an April use two years' rates. The example below prices middle rate care owed for 9 weeks, from Monday 2 March 2026 to Monday 4 May 2026, with the new rate from the week beginning 6 April 2026.
| Part of the window | Weeks | Weekly rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 March to 5 April 2026 (2025/26) | 5 | £73.90 | £369.50 |
| 6 April to 3 May 2026 (2026/27) | 4 | £76.70 | £306.80 |
| Total | 9 | £676.30 |
Last checked:
Pricing all 9 weeks at the 2026/27 rate would give £690.30, an overstatement of £14.00. The same method applies when DLA is replaced by PIP. Where PIP entitlement starts before PIP payments do, the arrears are the difference between total weekly PIP and the total weekly DLA already paid. Middle rate care with lower rate mobility pays £107.00 a week in 2026/27; enhanced daily living with standard mobility pays £144.90, a difference of £37.90 a week. The PIP side of that comparison uses PIP rates 2026.
To work out your DLA back pay across several benefit years, the calculator prices every week at its own year's DLA and PIP rates.
What Happens to Your DLA Rate When You Move to PIP?
Your DLA rate keeps being paid until at least 28 days after the DWP decides your PIP claim, and PIP payments then start as soon as DLA payments end. GOV.UK sets the order: a letter invites you to apply for PIP, the application must be made within 28 days, and DLA continues while the claim is decided. Adults born on or before 8 April 1948 are not moved and keep DLA while they remain eligible.
PIP is assessed from scratch against its own activities, so the DLA band does not carry over. Four of the five DLA amounts match a PIP rate in cash, as the table shows, but the PIP award can be higher, lower or nil.
| DLA component and rate | DLA a week | PIP rate with the same amount |
|---|---|---|
| Care, highest | £114.60 | PIP daily living, enhanced |
| Care, middle | £76.70 | PIP daily living, standard |
| Care, lowest | £30.30 | PIP mobility, standard |
| Mobility, higher | £80.00 | PIP mobility, enhanced |
| Mobility, lower | £30.30 | PIP mobility, standard |
Equal cash is not an equal award. PIP is assessed from scratch against its own activities, so a DLA band does not carry over to the matching PIP rate.
Last checked:
Source: Benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027; GOV.UK, PIP: how much you'll get
The guide to how PIP and DLA differ covers the rules beyond the money. DLA for children is a separate claim with its own rules.
Last checked: