Adult Disability Payment (ADP) is the Scottish disability benefit that replaced Personal Independence Payment for working age people. If you live in Scotland and a long-term health condition or disability affects your daily life, this is the benefit you apply for. The good news is that the Scottish process is deliberately built to be less adversarial than the old system, and most decisions are made on paper without anyone having to attend a face to face assessment. Opening part 1 early also fixes the date your back payment is calculated from. With several conditions the structure of your answers matters, as this guide explains.
This guide walks through exactly how to apply, from opening your case to what happens after you send in your form. The single most important thing to understand before you start is this: in Scotland, your form is your case. Because most determinations are made from the papers, what you write is usually all Social Security Scotland has to go on. That is why it pays to describe your difficulties fully and honestly the first time.
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Try one activity free →Step 1: Open your application (Part 1)
You begin by contacting Social Security Scotland to open your case. There are three ways to do it:
- Online at mygov.scot, which is the quickest route for most people.
- By phone on 0800 182 2222, where an adviser fills in Part 1 with you.
- On paper, by asking for a form to be posted to you.
This first stage is Part 1. It covers who you are, your contact details, your National Insurance number and your bank details. It is short and structural, and there is nothing to describe about your health yet. As soon as Part 1 is accepted, the clock starts: your payments will be backdated to this date if your claim succeeds, so it is worth opening your case sooner rather than later.
Step 2: Part 2, where you describe how your conditions affect you
Once Part 1 is done you receive Part 2. This is the heart of the application. It asks how your conditions affect the same 12 activities used across the disability benefit system: 10 daily living activities such as preparing food, washing, dressing and managing money, and 2 mobility activities covering planning journeys and moving around.
If you live with more than one condition, list them all, and see which condition should go first before you start writing.
Each activity has a set of descriptors that carry points. Score 8 to 11 points across the daily living activities and you get the standard rate of the daily living component; 12 or more points gives the enhanced rate. Mobility works the same way. You do not have to hit a threshold on any single activity, and your points can come from any combination.
Step 3: Supporting information
Supporting information is anything that backs up what you have written: a letter from a specialist, a care plan, a prescription list, an occupational therapy report or a supporting statement from someone who helps you. Here is where Scotland differs sharply from the old system.
Social Security Scotland has a duty to help you gather supporting information. Case managers can contact the people and organisations you name and ask for information themselves, so you are not left to chase everything alone. You also do not need a separate piece of evidence for every condition. One reliable piece of formal information confirming a condition that is responsible for more than a minor part of your needs can be enough.
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Try one activity freeStep 4: The consultation (only if needed)
Many people never have one. A consultation only happens when Social Security Scotland cannot make a fair decision from the papers alone. It is not a medical examination and it is not a test. It can take place by phone, by video, at a local venue or at your home, and the invitation letter tells you in advance which parts of your application they want to talk about, so you can prepare.
If you are asked to a consultation, describe the full picture: your pain and fatigue, how symptoms build over time, how often you can and cannot do things, the help you need and the times you go without. Do not talk up what you can manage on a good day.
Step 5: The determination and what comes next
Social Security Scotland makes a determination and writes to you with the outcome. Awards run on a rolling basis with no fixed end date requiring you to reapply, and most are reviewed at some point to check you are still getting the right amount. Where your needs are unlikely to change, reviews are set further apart, and some awards are made on an ongoing basis without a scheduled review.
If you have applied for PIP before, the language and the timings here are different. Our guide to ADP and PIP compared sets out what changed.
If you think the determination is wrong, you have 42 days from the determination letter to ask for a re-determination, which is Social Security Scotland looking at your case again. They have 56 days to do it. If they miss that deadline, you gain a direct right of appeal to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland, and you have 31 days from the re-determination outcome to lodge an appeal.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I start an ADP application?
Contact Social Security Scotland to open your case: online at mygov.scot, by phone on 0800 182 2222, or by asking for a paper form. That first step is Part 1, covering your details. You are then sent Part 2, where you describe how your conditions affect the 12 activities.
Will I have to attend a consultation?
Usually not. Most determinations are made on the papers. A consultation only happens when it is the only way to get the information needed, it is not a medical examination, and the invitation tells you in advance which parts of your application they want to discuss.
Do I need to gather all my own evidence?
No. Social Security Scotland has a duty to help, and case managers can request supporting information themselves from the people you give permission to contact. One reliable piece of formal information about a condition responsible for more than a minor part of your needs can be enough.
How long does a decision take?
There is no single fixed timescale and gathering supporting information can lengthen it. Payments are backdated to the date you opened your application, so you do not lose out. The latest published figures are in our guide to ADP waiting times in 2026. For every stage and deadline in order, see our ADP timeline for 2026. You can call 0800 182 2222 to check progress.
What if my determination is wrong?
Ask for a re-determination within 42 days. Social Security Scotland has 56 days to respond. If they miss it you can appeal to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland within 31 days of the outcome.