Benefits at 16

15 mins read

This advice applies across the UK.

When your child turns 16, the benefits they claim – and those you claim for them – may change. Here we explain how, along with some decisions you might have to make about the benefits your family claims.

What happens to benefits at 16?

When your child turns 16, the benefits they claim – and those you claim for them – may change.

Below we explain when, and in what circumstances, this happens. This is different for benefits your child claims for their disability and benefits you claim for your child as part of the family.

Your child’s disability benefits

If your child claims – or you claim on their behalf – a disability benefit, at some stage they will be too old to claim the “child” version.

They will need to claim the “adult” version instead if they want to keep receiving help for disability costs.

DLA and PIP at 16

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) replaces Disability Living Allowance (DLA) for adults aged 16-pension age.

Children getting DLA must normally claim PIP shortly after their 16th birthday. The only exceptions to this are currently young people who are terminally ill and those who are hospital in-patients.

If you have a child on DLA approaching 16, you should receive notice in writing when they will need to claim PIP.

If this has not happened, contact the DLA Unit, or Social Security Agency in Northern Ireland.

Find out more about PIP.

Child Disability Payment at 16

This applies in Scotland only.

If your child gets Child Disability Payment, they will have to make a claim for Adult Disability Payment at some point between their 16th and 18th birthday.

When your child is approaching the age of 16, Social Security Scotland will write to you asking if they need an appointee to manage their benefits. They will also explain that they have the option of making a claim for Adult Disability Payment once they turn 16. They don’t have to do this. If they prefer, your son or daughter can choose to continue to get Child Disability Payment. They can instead wait and claim Adult Disability Payment at any point while they are 16 or 17.

However, they should try and make sure that they claim Adult Disability Payment before they turn 18. This is to make sure that there is no gap in their disability benefit payments. So long as they lodge their claim before their 18^th birthday, their Child Disability Payment award will continue until they get a decision on their Adult Disability Payment claim.  

Find out more about Adult Disability Payment.

Benefits you get for your child

When we talk about benefits you’re claiming for your child as part of your family, we mean:

• Child Benefit.
• Additional amounts for a dependent child or young person paid with Universal Credit.
• Additional amounts included in the assessment of any Housing Benefit and Council Tax support you claim. Most people can no longer get Housing Benefit. Some tenants in specific types of housing e.g. temporary or supported accommodation can still get Housing Benefit rather than Universal Credit payments towards rent.

As a general rule, these payments automatically continue until the September after their 16th birthday. After that, whether you will be able to continue getting these payments depends on your child’s circumstances and the benefits you are claiming.

When can I continue to claim for my child beyond 16?

You can only carry on getting payments for your child as a dependant if they are attending a course of full-time, non-advanced education, or are in certain types of approved training. There are some exceptions to this for Child Benefit.

What kind of course counts?

The course must be non-advanced. A course is non-advanced education when below the level of a degree, HND, or national vocational qualifications at level 4. Non advanced courses include:

• ‘A’ levels and below.
• Advanced Highers (Scotland) and below.
• NVQ/SVQ Level 3 and below.
• Ordinary National Diplomas and B-TEC National Diplomas and National Certificates.
• Courses offering life-skills or other training suitable for young people with special educational needs.

Other courses may also be classed as non-advanced. If you are uncertain about the level of your son or daughter’s course, seek further advice.

Child Benefit has introduced new legislation from 1st September 2025. This relaxes the rules around the type of education your young person can be receiving and the number of hours of attendance that is accepted, for a claim for Child Benefit to continue beyond the age of 16. These rules are now quite different to Universal Credit. They may mean your child qualifies for Child Benefit, but you are unable to claim the child elements of Universal Credit for them.

Universal Credit

To qualify for the child elements of Universal Credit, your child’s course must be full time. To count as full time, the course must normally be for more than 12 hours a week during term time. This includes classes, tuition and any supervised study. It doesn’t include meal breaks or unsupervised study. Home education may count in some cases.

Child Benefit

Young people can now qualify for Child Benefit if they are home educated. In some circumstances, this can include where this began after their 16^th birthday. They can also qualify if their course is not provided by a school or college, even if their course has not been approved by the local authority through an education, health or care (EHC) plan.

Young people with disabilities can now qualify for Child Benefit if they are studying for less than 12 hours each week. This is provided the number of hours of study is the maximum they can manage due to their health condition, disability or illness.

Training courses

In some parts of the UK, young people on an “approved training” course can still get a training allowance. It may be possible to continue claiming Child Benefit or Universal Credit payments for your child in these circumstances. Seek further advice.

If their course is not classed as “approved training”, Child Benefit and other payments you get for them as part of your family will stop.

Will bursaries or other course funding affect the payments I get?

Student funding will not affect any benefits you get for your child.  

Student funding can impact on any Universal Credit payments that your son or daughter gets in their own right as a young adult. The exception to this is Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) and the 16-19 bursary, Call our freephone helpline for further advice.

How do I make sure I get these payments beyond 16?

The Child Benefit office will write to you during the school year that your son or daughter turns 16. They will ask if they will be staying on in full-time education or approved training, and when you expect them to leave. If you say they are leaving full-time education or training, your Child Benefit will stop. It will also stop if you don’t return the form.

If you get Universal Credit payments for a 16-19 year old as part of your family claim, then you should also let Universal Credit know if they are staying on in full time non-advanced education after the summer holidays.

When will these benefits stop (if not at 16)?

So long as your child stays in these types of education or training, payments can usually continue at least until their 19th birthday. This is the case unless they stop attending the course or training before that date.

Payments can often be extended for longer. So long as your son or daughter is completing a course they started, or were enrolled on, or offered a place on, before they turned 19, Universal Credit payments can continue until the 31 August after their 19th birthday.

It’s possible for Child Benefit and any Housing Benefit child amounts to continue until the young person’s 20th birthday if they are completing a course that they had started or were accepted/enrolled onto before their 19th birthday.

Council Tax child elements can usually also continue to a young person’s 20th birthday. However, rules can vary depending on the Council Tax scheme that applies in your area.

Other ways these benefits will stop

If your child starts to get Universal Credit in their own right as a young adult, any payments you get for them as a dependent child must stop immediately.

If your child leaves school, college or approved training to start working or move into advanced education, such as a university, you will no longer get benefits for them. They will need individual advice about whether they will get any Universal Credit to top up their earnings.

If your child is temporarily unable to continue their studies (for example because of ill-health), you may still be able to get Child Benefit for them. Unfortunately, any Universal Credit payments you get for them as a child are likely to stop.

Claiming Universal Credit as a young adult

Some young disabled people have the option of claiming Universal Credit in their own right as a young disabled adult. If your child gets Universal Credit, you will lose any benefits you get for them as part of your family.

Normally, you need to be at least 18 years old to claim Universal Credit. Some 16- and 17-year-olds can also claim. This includes a 16- or 17-year-old who is submitting medical certificates from their GP. 

Most people receiving education cannot claim Universal Credit unless they have a dependent child. However there are three main groups of students who may still be able to get Universal Credit in education. These are:

• Certain groups of students who are exempt from the normal restrictions. This includes any student with a dependent child and disabled students who not only get PIP, but who established that they had a limited capability for work before they started their course.
• Part-time students.
• Some young people who remain in non-advanced education beyond the August after their 19th birthday.

The rules are extremely complex. We suggest you read our full webpage below, or call our free helpline for detailed advice.

Universal Credit for young people receiving education

There are particular rules that prevent most young people in education from being able to get Universal Credit.

Read more

If your son or daughter wants to claim Universal Credit as a disabled person rather than as a job seeker, they need to get a medical certificate from their GP. This is known as a statement of fitness for work or a “fit note”. Having a fit note will allow them to start claiming Universal Credit straight away, so long as they are not “receiving education”. 

Universal Credit is a means-tested benefit. But if your son or daughter claims it, the Department for Work and Pensions will only look at their income and capital, not yours. 

Getting Universal Credit and charges for adult services

If your son or daughter is 18 or over and getting residential or community care services through the local authority’s adult team, getting Universal Credit could lead to them having to pay some charges towards those services.

Contact our free helpline for further information.

Will we be better off if my son or daughter claims benefits in their own right?

This will depend on your family circumstances. You need to compare how much they will get with what you will lose from your own benefits.

If your family income is high and you don’t qualify for much in Universal Credit, there is a good chance your household will be better off if your child is able to get Universal Credit in their own right.

Families with a lower income – who therefore get higher Universal Credit payments – run the risk that they will be worse off if a young person gets Universal Credit in their own right.

The higher your Universal Credit payments, the less chance you will gain if your child claims in their own right.

Who gets paid benefits at 16?

From the age of 16, payments of PIP, Child Disability Payment or Adult Disability Payment usually go directly to your son or daughter.

If you continue to claim Child Benefit or Universal Credit amounts for your child as a dependant, either you or your partner will receive these payments.

If your child claims Universal Credit or any other benefits in their own right as a young adult, this will usually also be paid to them rather than to you. 

Becoming a benefit appointee

The only exception to this is if they lack the mental capacity to manage their own affairs. If this is the case, you may be able to receive and manage benefits for them, acting as their appointee.

What is an appointee?

If your child is unable to manage their own benefits, you can become their appointee. This means that the office paying you that benefit gives you the responsibility to make claims on their behalf and for managing any benefits payments they get. You will also be responsible for keeping the relevant office informed of any changes in your child’s circumstances. 

Becoming an appointee only gives you the power to manage their benefits. It does not give you any wider rights to deal with their affairs. 

How do I become an appointee? 

If your child already gets DLA, the DWP in England or Wales (or Social Security Agency in Northern Ireland) should write to you in the six months before your child turns 16. They should do this at the same time as they send you information about moving onto PIP. If this doesn’t happen automatically, or if your child loses the capacity to manage their benefits at some point after they turn 16, contact the DWP to tell them that you think your child needs an appointee.

The DWP will arrange for one of their staff to do a home visit to assess whether your child needs an appointee. You will only be made an appointee if the DWP/Social Security Agency agree that your child lacks the capacity to manage their own affairs. Usually this will be due to mental capacity but in exceptional circumstances it can be because of a physical disability. You can’t become an appointee simply because it is more convenient for you or your child. 

If the courts have appointed you to look after your child’s affairs, for example as a deputy or guardian, you won’t have to do anything else except provide evidence of these court appointed powers. 

If you live in Scotland and your child gets Child Disability Payment, Social Security Scotland will contact you as your child is approaching 16 to see whether they require an appointee.

Help with education costs

Young people who stay on at school or college may be able to apply for other types of financial help. This includes the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales and the 16-19 bursary in England.

See our page on help with education costs to find out more.

Payment of EMA or a 16-19 bursary doesn’t affect any of the benefits that you receive. Neither will it affect any payments your child gets if they are claiming benefits in their own right.

However, if your son or daughter claims Universal Credit in order to access the vulnerable student’s 16-19 bursary, the fact that they start to receive Universal Credit means that you will no longer be able to receive benefits such as Child Benefit or Universal Credit child elements for them as a dependent child.

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