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DLA & PIP Mobility Benefit Age Rules
The eligibility criteria to join the Motability Scheme is the same for people with a disability over the age of 66 as is it for people under 66. To qualify, you need to currently receive one of the following allowances (and have at least 12 months remaining on your award):
- The Enhanced Rate of the Mobility Component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) - currently worth £64.50 a week
- The Higher Rate Mobility Component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) - currently worth £64.50 a week
- The Armed Forces Independence Payment (AFIP) - currently worth £64.50 a week
- The War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement (WPMS) - currently worth £72.00 a week
The confusion arises because the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has an upper age limit for anyone applying for one of these disability-related benefits for the first time.
The upper age limit in the UK is the equalised state pension age for men and women, which in 2021 increased from 65 to 66. Further increases in the state pension age are planned – it will eventually rise to 68 – although the precise timetable is yet to be confirmed.
If you currently receive one of these qualifying Mobility Allowances, you can exchange all or a part of it to pay for the lease of a brand new car or a Wheelchair Accessible Vehicle (WAV) through the Motability Scheme.
If you are 66 or older and you develop care needs because of a mental or physical disability, you can not apply for PIP or DLA. You will instead be asked to apply for the Attendance Allowance. The Attendance Allowance is a tax-free, non-means tested benefit paid to people over state pension age to help with the extra costs associated with their disability.
Unfortunately, the Attendance Allowance cannot be used to lease a vehicle through the Motability Scheme. The Attendance Allowance is meant to provide extra money to pay for the care of the claimant, not necessarily their mobility.
So, the short answer is this: if you are still in receipt of one of the qualifying mobility allowances when you reach 66, you can lease a Motability vehicle.
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