Many families receiving Universal Credit and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for their child do not realise they may be entitled to an additional payment called the Disabled Child Element.
Recently, a parent contacted me after watching one of my videos to say that once this was corrected on their claim, they received around £6,000 in backdated payments.
That’s why it’s worth explaining clearly how this works, because many families who should be receiving this support simply don’t realise it exists.
What Is the Disabled Child Element?
Universal Credit is made up of different parts called “elements.”
These are additional payments added to your claim depending on your circumstances.
If you have a child with a disability who receives Disability Living Allowance (DLA), your Universal Credit claim may qualify for the Disabled Child Element.
This extra payment is designed to help families with the additional costs of raising a disabled child.
There Are Two Levels of Payment
There are actually two possible levels of this element.
Disabled Child Element
This applies if your child receives any rate of DLA.
Severely Disabled Child Element
This applies if your child receives the highest rate care component of DLA.
The higher element recognises that some children require more intensive support and care.
Why Some Families Are Missing It
In theory, this element should be added to your Universal Credit claim once your child is awarded DLA.
However, in practice this does not always happen automatically.
This is particularly common when:
- DLA is awarded after your Universal Credit claim has already started
- the change is not reported properly in the Universal Credit journal
- the system simply has not updated correctly
This means some families are receiving less Universal Credit than they should be.
Why Backdated Payments Sometimes Happen
If the Disabled Child Element should have been included earlier but wasn’t, it may sometimes be backdated.
This depends on the individual circumstances and the information that was provided to Universal Credit.
In some cases, families have received several thousand pounds in backdated payments once the correct element was added.
This is why it is so important to check your claim if your child receives DLA.
How to Check Your Universal Credit Claim
If you receive Universal Credit and your child receives DLA, you can check this fairly quickly.
Log into your Universal Credit online account and review your payment breakdown.
Look under the section called:
“Children and qualifying young people.”
If your claim includes the Disabled Child Element, it should appear in this section.
What to Do If It Isn’t There
If your child receives DLA but the Disabled Child Element is not listed on your claim, you should:
- Log into your Universal Credit journal
- Report a change in circumstances
- Inform them that your child receives Disability Living Allowance
You can also ask them to review whether the Disabled Child Element should be included in your claim.
If it should have been applied earlier, they may review whether a backdated payment is appropriate.
Why This Matters
Raising a child with additional needs often comes with extra costs.
The Disabled Child Element exists to recognise this and help families manage those additional pressures.
But because the Universal Credit system can be complex, many families are simply unaware they should be receiving it.
Taking a few minutes to check your claim could make a significant difference.
Final Thoughts
If your child receives Disability Living Allowance and your household is on Universal Credit, it is definitely worth checking whether the Disabled Child Element has been added to your claim.
Many parents assume the system will automatically include everything they are entitled to.
Unfortunately, that is not always the case.
And as some families have discovered, correcting it can sometimes result in substantial backdated support.
If you are navigating SEND support, benefits, or education systems, AskEllie exists to help families understand their rights and options.
You are always welcome to come by and see us.
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