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© 2026. The Purpl Co Limited. All rights reserved.
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© 2026. The Purpl Co Limited. All rights reserved.
10 min read
Written by
Georgina, Founder of Purpl
Published on
August 10, 2026
Last reviewed: 10 August 2026
Applies to: UK
Written by: Georgina, Founder of Purpl
To check what disability benefits you can claim, run an independent online tool like Purpl’s free Turn2us benefits calculator, which assesses your household income, savings, and health conditions in around 10 minutes. With over £24 billion in UK benefits going unclaimed every year, a quick calculation checks your circumstances against current DWP and Social Security Scotland rules to ensure you do not miss out on vital support.
You can check what disability benefits you can claim by using an independent online benefits calculator or by getting free, confidential advice from a certified welfare rights organisation.
The easiest and quickest starting point is using an online calculator. Purpl has integrated the free, confidential Turn2us Benefits Calculator directly onto our website. This tool calculates possible entitlement to means-tested support such as Universal Credit, Pension Credit, Council Tax Support, New Style ESA, Child Benefit, and Carer’s Allowance.
It also flags eligibility for non-means-tested disability benefits including Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Adult Disability Payment (ADP), Attendance Allowance, Pension Age Disability Payment (PADP), Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children, and Child Disability Payment (CDP).
While the calculator provides an accurate estimate for income-based benefits, disability benefits depend on a separate assessment of your care, daily living, or mobility needs rather than a purely financial formula.
Purpl Tip: Run a calculation even if you think you earn too much to qualify. Income-related rules change frequently, and non-means-tested disability benefits are paid regardless of your earnings or savings.
To complete an accurate benefits calculation, you need details of your household income, savings, rent or mortgage costs, Council Tax bill, current benefit payments, and National Insurance record.
Before starting a check, gather the following documents:
Completing the Purpl calculator takes around 10 minutes and produces a personalised report showing what you could potentially claim and step-by-step instructions on how to apply.
Purpl Tip: Keep your payslips, Council Tax bill, rent figures, and benefit letters together in a single folder. Having these documents ready makes running annual benefit checks much faster.
Non-means-tested disability benefits include Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Adult Disability Payment (ADP), Attendance Allowance, Pension Age Disability Payment (PADP), Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children, and Child Disability Payment (CDP).
These benefits are awarded based entirely on how your disability, neurodivergence, or health condition impacts your daily life and mobility, rather than the amount of money in your bank account.
According to GOV.UK guidance, you can receive PIP or ADP whether you are working full-time, have substantial savings, or live with a high-earning partner. Disability benefits exist to help offset the undeniable extra costs that come with living with a long-term condition.
Purpl Insight: Income and disability needs are completely separate. You can earn a good wage and still face significant extra expenses for accessible transport, specialist care, higher heating bills, or daily living aids.
Working-age adults in the UK can claim Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, or Adult Disability Payment (ADP) in Scotland.
PIP is available to adults aged 16 up to State Pension age who have a long-term physical or mental health condition that causes difficulty with daily living tasks or mobility. Entitlement requires difficulties to have lasted for three months and be expected to continue for at least 9 months. PIP consists of two parts—Daily Living and Mobility—each paid at a standard or enhanced rate.
Administered by Social Security Scotland, ADP has replaced PIP for all new working-age claims in Scotland. It uses similar qualifying rules to PIP but focuses on a safer, fairer, and more compassionate application and assessment process.
Purpl Tip: Do not wait for a formal medical diagnosis before exploring eligibility. Benefit entitlement focuses heavily on real-life functional impact—what you cannot do safely, repeatedly, reliably, or without help.
Adults over State Pension age who require help with personal care or supervision can claim Attendance Allowance in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, or Pension Age Disability Payment in Scotland.
According to GOV.UK, Attendance Allowance is paid at two rates depending on whether you need help or supervision during the day, at night, or both. You must normally have needed this support for at least six months before claiming. Attendance Allowance does not feature a mobility component.
In Scotland, Social Security Scotland administers Pension Age Disability Payment as the replacement for Attendance Allowance. You can apply if you have reached State Pension age and have care needs during the day or night due to a physical or mental condition, even while waiting for an official diagnosis.
Purpl Tip: Never assume care needs are “just a normal part of getting older”. If you need help washing, dressing, staying safe, or managing medication, check your entitlement right away.
Disabled children under 16 can receive Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for children in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, or Child Disability Payment (CDP) in Scotland.
Child DLA provides financial support for children under 16 who require significantly more care, attention, or supervision than a non-disabled child of the same age, or who have substantial mobility difficulties.
In Scotland, Child Disability Payment has replaced DLA for children. Social Security Scotland accepts applications for children under 16 with physical or mental disabilities without requiring a formal diagnosis prior to applying.
Purpl Tip: When filling out forms for a child, compare their daily routine against a non-disabled child of the exact same age. Highlight the extra time, supervision, and physical support you provide every day.
You can claim Universal Credit if your disability or health condition affects your ability to work and your household income and savings fall below the means-tested eligibility threshold.
Because Universal Credit is means-tested, savings over £6,000 reduce your payments, while savings over £16,000 make you ineligible.
If a health condition limits your ability to work for more than seven days, you must submit a fit note from your GP. Following 28 days of illness, the DWP will initiate a Work Capability Assessment (WCA).
If assessed as having Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA), you will receive an extra monthly payment element. Under health benefit reforms, new LCWRA awards follow updated rate structures, while existing claimants retain protected rates.
You can claim New Style Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) if a health condition limits your ability to work and you have paid enough National Insurance contributions over the past two tax years.
New Style ESA is a contributory benefit rather than a means-tested one. This means your personal savings and your partner’s earnings do not reduce your entitlement.
You can receive New Style ESA alongside Universal Credit, though your ESA payment will be deducted pound-for-pound from your Universal Credit award.
Purpl Tip: If your Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is coming to an end or you have recently stopped working due to ill health, check New Style ESA first to protect your National Insurance record.
Unpaid carers providing at least 35 hours of support weekly to a disabled person receiving a qualifying benefit can claim Carer’s Allowance in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, or Carer Support Payment in Scotland.
In Scotland, Social Security Scotland delivers Carer Support Payment, replacing Carer’s Allowance with expanded eligibility for carers in full-time education.
Purpl Tip: Always check the wider household impact before claiming a carer benefit. A carer claiming Carer’s Allowance can sometimes remove the Severe Disability Premium from the disabled person’s means-tested benefits.
Awarding a disability benefit can unlock additional passported support including Council Tax discounts, Blue Badges, Motability Scheme vehicles, Access to Work funding, and zero-rated VAT relief on specialist goods.
You should check your benefit entitlement at least once a year and whenever there is a change in your health, income, housing costs, relationship status, or household members.
Policy in Practice estimates that £24.1 billion in GB benefits and social tariffs goes unclaimed every year due to complex rules and lack of awareness. Furthermore, Turn2us reports that 60% of people using their calculator discover support they were not previously claiming, gaining an average of £5,396 a year.
Re-check your entitlement if:
Benefits are one part of the picture.
Living with a disability often costs more in ways that the benefits system does not fully cover. That can include heating, accessible transport, food delivery, mobility equipment, private health costs, specialist clothing, home products and simply having fewer cheap options available.
Purpl exists to help reduce those costs.
For £1 a month, members can access verified disability discounts across supermarkets, mobility, travel, healthcare, home, technology, days out and everyday essentials. You can use Purpl’s partner savings alongside your benefit payments to help soften the overall disability price tag:
Purpl also reinvests 20% of eligible media revenue back into the Purpl Community Grant Fund to directly help members with disability-related expenses. You can also use Purpl’s benefits and support tools alongside those savings, including our free Benefits Calculator and UK Disability Benefits & Support Handbook.
Join Purpl today for just £1 a month when paid annually.
Purpl Insight: The disability price tag is not something individuals can simply budget away. But checking benefits, grants, concessions and discounts can help make sure you are not carrying costs that support already exists to reduce.
Founder insight from Georgina:
“Navigating the UK benefits system while managing Multiple Sclerosis and fatigue feels like a full-time job. It is easy to look at complex forms and assume you won’t qualify, but billions of pounds in benefits go unclaimed every year go unclaimed every month by people who desperately need support. Take 10 minutes to run a calculator check—it costs nothing, it’s completely private, and it could unlock life-changing support.”
Yes. PIP is not means-tested, so working full-time or earning a high salary does not disqualify you. Eligibility is based on daily living and mobility needs.
No. PIP, Adult Disability Payment, Attendance Allowance, and Child Disability Payment are not means-tested and ignore savings completely. Means-tested benefits like Universal Credit do consider savings.
No. Your partner’s earnings or savings have zero impact on your PIP or Adult Disability Payment eligibility.
No. Running a calculation on Purpl’s Turn2us calculator is completely anonymous and will not alert the DWP or alter existing awards.
No. The calculator flags potential PIP or ADP eligibility, but it cannot calculate your exact point score. You can use Purpl’s PIP points calculator guide to check descriptor scoring.
Yes. You can receive both simultaneously if you meet the separate eligibility criteria for each benefit.
Yes. New Style ESA covers your inability to work due to illness, while PIP covers the extra daily costs of living with a disability.
No. Social Security Scotland and the DWP assess how your condition affects your functional daily life rather than relying solely on a formal medical diagnosis label.
You can get free help from Citizens Advice, local council welfare rights teams, disability charities, or the Turn2us “Find an Adviser” tool.
Check your entitlement at least once a year or immediately whenever your income, health, housing, or household setup changes.
Georgina is the Founder of Purpl, a disabled-led UK discount platform. It helps disabled people, carers and families reduce the extra cost of disability.
Georgina lives with Multiple Sclerosis and understands these challenges firsthand. She creates practical, honest and accessible guides on benefits, household bills, disability rights and everyday savings.
Purpl partners with trusted brands to provide verified discounts for eligible members. It also reinvests 20% of brand media and advertising revenue into the Purpl Community Grant Fund.