When someone in Scotland is terminally ill, the last thing they or their family should be doing is filling in a long benefits form and describing every difficulty across 12 activities. The Special Rules for Terminal Illness exist precisely so that does not happen. Adult Disability Payment (ADP), the Scottish benefit that replaced Personal Independence Payment for working age people, has a separate, faster route for people who are terminally ill, and it works quite differently from a standard claim. Payments under the special rules are made weekly in advance, as our guide to ADP payment dates sets out. For how this applies to a cancer diagnosis specifically, see ADP for cancer.
The heart of the difference is this: there is no points test, no consultation and, above all, no fixed time limit on how long someone is expected to live. A single clinical form confirms the situation and the award follows almost automatically at the highest rate. This guide explains the terminal illness rules as Social Security Scotland actually applies them, and where they part company with the old rest of UK approach.
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Try one activity free →What counts as terminal illness in Scotland
This is the single biggest departure from the system operating in the rest of the UK, so it is worth being precise. In Scotland, a person is treated as terminally ill for ADP purposes when a registered medical practitioner or a registered nurse makes a clinical judgement that the person has a progressive disease that can reasonably be expected to cause their death.
There is no fixed six month or twelve month cut off. The judgement does not turn on estimating how long someone has left, which is something clinicians have long said is difficult and often inaccurate to predict. Instead it rests on the professional's honest clinical view of the nature of the illness. This was a deliberate choice when the Scottish system was designed, and it means a diagnosis that would fall outside a rigid time limit elsewhere can still qualify here.
The BASRiS form
BASRiS stands for Benefits Assessment under Special Rules in Scotland. It is the form the health professional completes to confirm the clinical judgement of terminal illness, and it is what turns an ordinary ADP application into a fast-tracked one. Social Security Scotland aims to decide these cases within 7 working days, and the published ADP waiting times show the median running well inside that.
Two things about the BASRiS matter most:
- Only a registered health professional can complete it. That means a registered medical practitioner or a registered nurse who is involved in the person's care or diagnosis. The applicant, a family member or a support worker cannot fill it in.
- It usually goes straight to Social Security Scotland. In most cases the clinician sends the BASRiS in directly, so the applicant does not have to handle it. If they are given a paper copy they can submit it themselves.
The date recorded on the form matters too. The clinician records the date the clinical judgement of terminal illness was made, and the BASRiS should ideally be completed on that same date. If it is completed later, the earlier judgement date is what is recorded, and that can affect backdating.
How the fast-track process works
A terminal illness claim still starts the same way as any ADP claim. You open the application with Social Security Scotland online at mygov.scot, by phone on 0800 182 2222, or by asking for a paper form. What changes is what happens next.
Because the BASRiS confirms terminal illness, there is no need to work through the 12 activities, no points to add up and no consultation with a health and social care practitioner. The determination is made on the clinical form. Social Security Scotland prioritises these applications and aims to decide them within a handful of working days once it has the completed application and the BASRiS together. That is a world away from the timescale of a standard ADP claim, where supporting information may need to be gathered first.
What you receive: both components at enhanced
A person who qualifies under the Special Rules automatically receives both components of Adult Disability Payment at the highest rate. There is no scoring involved, so the standard rate simply does not come into it here.
ADP weekly rates 2026/27 under the Special Rules
- Enhanced daily living component £114.60
- Enhanced mobility component £80.00
Both are paid together, so the full weekly amount is £194.60. Over a year an ADP award is worth in the region of £10,000.
It is worth pausing on the mobility component. Under the Scottish Special Rules the enhanced mobility component is included automatically alongside enhanced daily living, so a terminally ill person does not have to satisfy any separate mobility condition to receive it. Both parts arrive at the top rate as a matter of course.
No routine reviews, and backdating
ADP awards generally run on a rolling basis with no fixed end date, and most are reviewed at some point. An award made under the Special Rules for Terminal Illness is different: it is ongoing and is not subject to a routine review unless the person's circumstances change. Since both components are already paid at the enhanced rate, there is nothing an award could be reassessed upward to, so a routine review would serve no purpose.
On money, the award can be backdated. Payment starts from the date Social Security Scotland receives the application or the date the clinical judgement of terminal illness was recorded, whichever is earlier. Backdating can run up to 26 weeks where the clinical judgement predates the application, which is why the date on the BASRiS is worth getting right.
Applying for ADP the standard way instead?
If the Special Rules do not apply and you are making an ordinary claim, ADPexpert turns your conditions into clear, ready to use answers for all 12 activities, written in the language the descriptors are scored against. Try one activity free.
Try one activity freeWhat about carers, and the rest of the UK
A fast-tracked ADP award does more than support the person who is ill. Because it includes the daily living component, someone who cares for them may be able to claim Carer Support Payment, the Scottish carer benefit that replaced the older UK carer benefit. It is worth checking, as it is easy to overlook at a difficult time.
If a terminally ill person moves between Scotland and the rest of the UK, the usual transfer arrangements apply. Moving out of Scotland, ADP continues for 13 weeks before a claim for the rest of UK benefit is needed. Moving into Scotland, the rest of UK benefit is paid for 13 weeks before a claim for ADP. The terminal illness route exists in both systems, but Scotland's definition based on clinical judgement without a time limit is the one that applies here.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the BASRiS form for ADP?
BASRiS stands for Benefits Assessment under Special Rules in Scotland. It is a short clinical form that confirms a person is terminally ill so their ADP application can be fast-tracked. It is completed by a registered medical practitioner or a registered nurse involved in the person's care, not by the applicant, and it is the key document for a claim under the Special Rules for Terminal Illness.
Is there a six or twelve month rule for terminal illness in Scotland?
No. Scotland does not use a fixed time limit. The definition rests on the clinical judgement of a registered medical practitioner or nurse that a person has a progressive disease that can reasonably be expected to cause their death. There is no requirement to say death is likely within six or twelve months, which is a deliberate difference from the older rest of UK approach.
What does someone get under the Special Rules for Terminal Illness?
They automatically receive both components of ADP at the highest rate: the enhanced daily living component and the enhanced mobility component. In 2026/27 that is £114.60 a week for daily living and £80.00 a week for mobility. There is no points test and no qualifying period.
How quickly is a terminal illness ADP application decided?
Applications under the Special Rules are prioritised. Social Security Scotland aims to make a determination within a few working days of receiving the completed application together with the BASRiS form, far faster than a standard claim, because there is no points assessment to carry out.
Does a terminal illness ADP award get reviewed?
An award made under the Special Rules is ongoing and is not subject to a routine review unless the person's circumstances change. Because both components are already paid at the enhanced rate, there is nothing to reassess for the award to increase.
Can a terminal illness award be backdated?
Yes. Payment can start from the date Social Security Scotland receives the application or the date the clinical judgement of terminal illness was recorded, whichever is earlier, with backdating of up to 26 weeks where the clinical judgement predates the application.