The number of children receiving Disability Living Allowance (DLA) has more than tripled since 2010, according to a new report from the Policy Exchange think tank.

In 2026, 915,00 children were in receipt of DLA, an increase of 191% on the 314,000 children who received the benefits payment in 2010. DLA is the main benefit paid to children aged up to 16 to help with the additional costs associated with a child’s disability or development. It is not means-tested and is tax-free.

The surge in DLA recipients has been driven by an increase in claims for mental health-related conditions. The report details how 404,00 children who have been awarded DLA since the pandemic have received it for learning difficulties, behavioral disorders, and hyperkinetic syndrome (a more severe form of ADHD), equivalent to an increase of around “one additional child in every classroom in England and Wales” receiving the payment. Those mental conditions now make up more than 86% of claims for Child DLA, up from 58% in 2015.

This increase in Child DLA claims has far outstripped the number of children being diagnosed with related conditions. Between 2019 and 2025, the number of children under 17 diagnosed with learning difficulties increased by 35%, while Child DLA claims for the condition climbed 55%.

The cost of the child benefit has more than doubled since the pandemic, rising from £2.3 billion per year in 2019-20 to £5.3 billion in 2025-26, and is expected to climb further to more than £8 billion by 2030-31. The expected payment award for a child with a learning difficulty claiming DLA is now £6,475, up from £6,049 in 2019-20.

Child DLA claims are made through a 40-page paper form that asks whether the individual needs to be supervised during the day, whether they need help to understand the world around them, if they can play on their own, and if they regularly feel anxious. The claim is made by a parent or guardian, and the benefit award is usually paid to the parent on the child’s behalf.

Policy Exchange’s report comes as the UK Government faces pressure to restrict its soaring disability benefits expenditure. Spending on disability benefits has more than doubled in real terms since 2009. The rise in claims for personal independence payments (PIP) — a benefit for those aged 16 and above living with a long-term physical or mental disability — for anxiety, stress and ADHD has also doubled since 2021.

The Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts that disability-benefit spending will rise from £41.4 billion in 2024-25 to £65.5 billion by 2030-31. Andy Burnham’s government is reportedly considering abolishing the health element of Universal Credit, a benefit available when a health condition affects a person’s ability to find work, payments for which were already halved earlier this year.

Reform UK has promised to make £50 billion in welfare cuts if it enters government, estimating that the changes would remove disability benefits from more than three million people.

Jean-André Prager, Senior Fellow in Welfare at Policy Exchange and co-author of the report, said: “Child DLA is now supporting a very different population from the one it was designed for.” He added: “Of course, disabled children deserve support. But we need to make sure that support is reaching those with the greatest needs and ask whether some of this money could be used more effectively.”