Child Disability Payment decision making guide
Age criteria
To get CDP, an individual must be under the age of 16 on the day their entitlement begins (CDP regs, reg. 4(2)).
This does not apply to individuals who:
- are ordinarily resident in Scotland and are entitled to Disability Living Allowance for children,
- have moved to Scotland from elsewhere in the United Kingdom whilst receiving Disability Living Allowance for children.
Where an individual’s entitlement to CDP begins before reaching age 16, they can continue to be entitled to CDP until they reach age 18 (CDP regs, reg. 4(1)). This is to provide continuity for young people during the transition from children’s to adult’s health and social care services.
If an individual’s entitlement would begin on or after they reach age 16, they are not entitled to CDP. The individual should instead make an application for Adult Disability Payment (ADP).
Jamie is 15 years and 11 months old when his mother submits Part 1 of a CDP application on his behalf. She then submits Part 2 of the application a few days after Jamie’s 16th birthday. Although Jamie is now 16, Social Security Scotland can make a determination that he is entitled to CDP because Part 2 of the application was submitted within 6 weeks of Part 1.
Bethany is 15 years and 11 months old when her father submits both parts of a CDP application on her behalf. When Social Security Scotland makes a determination that Bethany is entitled to CDP, she has already turned 16. Bethany is still entitled to CDP even though she is now 16. This is because as she met all the eligibility criteria on the date part 1 was submitted, her entitlement begins on the day her application was made, which was before she turned 16.