Your Disability Benefits while on Holiday

If you, either as a disabled person or as a carer, are in receipt of benefits it is important to know how going on holiday will effect these. If you take a holiday abroad you can usually continue to receive your Disability Living Allowance for 26 weeks. However, if you are travelling abroad in order to receive medical treatment with regard to your disability or illness it may be possible to receive your Disability Living Allowance for a longer period of time. This only applies if your stay abroad is temporary.

If you are going to live abroad on a permanent basis it may still be possible to claim the care component of your Disability Living Allowance if you are moving to live in a country that is part of the European Economic area or Switzerland.

Attendance Allowance

If you are staying abroad as a temporary measure you can usually carry on claiming your Attendance Allowance for 26 weeks. It may be possible to continue to receive Attendance Allowance for a longer period than 26 weeks if your stay abroad is for medical treatment for your disability or illness. Your stay must, however, be only temporary. If your move abroad is on a permanent basis it may still be possible to claim your Attendance Allowance as long as the country you are moving to is in the European Economic Area or Switzerland.

Incapacity Benefit

If you are going abroad it is important that you let your local job centre or job centre plus know. It is possible, if your stay abroad is only temporary, to continue to receive incapacity benefit for the first 26 weeks of your stay abroad if, on the day that you depart, you have been incapable of work for a continuous period of 6 months, or if your incapacity has been less than 6 months but the specific objective of going abroad is to seek medical treatment for your illness or disability that had begun before your departure.

It may be possible to receive incapacity benefit, when you are abroad, for longer than 26 weeks if your stay abroad is on a temporary basis and that you also receive Attendance Allowance or Disability Living Allowance.

Living Abroad On A Permanent Basis

If may be possible to claim a benefit for incapacity if you are moving to live in a country that has a reciprocal agreement with the UK. You should contact your local job centre or job centre plus office to find out more information

Carer's Allowance

You may continue to receive Carer's Allowance if you take a temporary holiday from caring for someone. During a 26 week period, a total of 4 weeks break can be taken. Carer's Allowance may also continued to be paid if you, or the person being cared for, has to go into hospital. It is important that you let the Carer's Allowance Unit know if you take a break from caring due to the person you are caring for, or you, have to go into hospital or if you are going on holiday.

It may be possible to receive Carer's Allowance for longer if you are going abroad to assist the person you care for and the person being cared for is still able to receive Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance. Your stay, however, must be temporary. If your move abroad is on a permanent basis it may still be possible to receive Carer's Allowance if you are moving to a country in the European Economic Area or to Switzerland.