Pension Age Disability Payment Scotland: PADP Replaces Attendance Allowance

Scotland's Benefits System Is Separate Now

If you are applying for disability support in Scotland, the DWP's Attendance Allowance has been replaced by the Pension Age Disability Payment (PADP), administered by Social Security Scotland — a separate national agency based in Dundee, not the DWP. Existing Attendance Allowance awards are moved to PADP by Social Security Scotland; recipients do not need to make a new application.

This is not a rebranding. PADP has different application processes, different terminal illness rules, and a different administrative culture than the DWP system it replaced.

PADP Rates (2026/27)

PADP is paid at two rates:

• Lower rate: £76.70 per week — for people who need help during the day or night with personal care.
• Higher rate: £114.60 per week — for people who need help both during the day and at night, or who are terminally ill.

PADP is not means-tested. It is not taxable. It does not reduce other benefits. It can be paid on top of the State Pension, Pension Credit, and other income.

Who Is Eligible

PADP is for people who:

• Have reached State Pension age.
• Live in Scotland.
• Need help with personal care due to a physical or mental health condition or disability.
• Have needed that help for at least 6 months (this qualifying period is waived for people who are terminally ill).

"Help with personal care" includes needing supervision, prompting, or physical assistance with washing, dressing, eating, taking medication, or moving around. You do not need to be receiving care from a professional — the need for help is what matters, not whether someone is currently providing it.

How to Apply

Applications go to Social Security Scotland, not the DWP:

1. Phone: call Social Security Scotland on 0800 182 2222 to start a phone application. An adviser takes details for part 1, and Social Security Scotland sends part 2 by post.
2. Online: apply through mygov.scot using myaccount.
3. Paper: request a paper form by phone and return it by post.

Social Security Scotland's stated approach is "dignity, fairness, and respect" — applications are assessed on the information provided. You can send supporting information with the application or ask Social Security Scotland to obtain it.

Terminal Illness Rules

PADP's terminal illness provisions are more generous than the DWP's old rules:

• No specific life-expectancy requirement: under the DWP's Attendance Allowance, the applicant had to be expected to die within 12 months. Under PADP, a clinical judgement that the person has a progressive disease that can reasonably be expected to cause death is sufficient — no fixed timeframe.
• Automatic higher rate: terminally ill applicants are automatically awarded the higher rate of £114.60 per week.
• Fast-tracked: Social Security Scotland aims to make a decision on terminal illness applications in around 7 working days. Terminal-illness awards are paid weekly in advance; standard PADP is normally paid every 4 weeks for the previous 4-week period.

Other Devolved Benefits

PADP is part of a broader devolution of disability and care benefits to Scotland:

• Adult Disability Payment (ADP) replaces Personal Independence Payment (PIP) for working-age adults.
• Child Disability Payment (CDP) replaces Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children.
• Funeral Support Payment replaces the DWP's Funeral Expenses Payment — it provides £1,327.75 for other expenses plus coverage of reasonable burial or cremation costs.
• Scottish Child Payment, Best Start Grants, and Carer Support Payment are additional Scottish-only benefits.

If you are helping a parent or relative navigate these benefits, be aware that many online guides and even some advice centres still reference DWP benefit names. Any guide that tells you to apply for "Attendance Allowance" in Scotland is out of date.

Why a Power of Attorney Matters Here

An elderly parent who develops dementia or has a stroke may be entitled to PADP but unable to complete the application themselves. Without a registered welfare power of attorney, no family member has automatic authority to apply for benefits on their behalf.

Social Security Scotland can accept an application from an "appointee" — someone the agency has formally recognised as acting on the adult's behalf. This is a separate process from a POA or guardianship order; if you already have either, Social Security Scotland will ask for proof of your legal rights.

A registered continuing power of attorney can cover the financial side if it grants the relevant powers: receiving and managing the PADP payments, directing them to care costs, and integrating them with other income. Without this, the payments may sit in an account no one can access.

Our Scotland Power of Attorney Toolkit covers both continuing and welfare powers, including how to use a registered POA to deal with Social Security Scotland and other devolved agencies on a relative's behalf.

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