Version: 5
Last Amended: 18 February 2025
Next Review: 31 March 2026
The Independent Living Fund Scotland exists to support independent living for disabled people in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Depending on when recipients joined ILF Scotland, the Fund categorises recipients into different groups, which determines the maximum amount that ILF Scotland can pay in annual awards.
The maximum payment ILF Scotland can provide per week is:
Group 1 recipients
£1,000 from 1 October 2022 in Northern Ireland
(previously £815) from 1 August 2024 in Scotland
Group 2 recipients
£600 from 1 October 2022 in Northern Ireland
(previously £475) from 1 August 2024 in Scotland
Re-opened Independent Living Fund in Scotland
£330 from 1 April 2024
ILF Scotland can make a payment that results in exceeding the maximum award in the following circumstances:
Any excess will apply only to the gross ILF element of a total care / support package.
ILF Scotland can make a payment above the maximum weekly award in respect of any week throughout the year, but it must ensure that the total awards in any one year does not exceed the total, relevant, maximum sum. For averaged payments, ILF Scotland calculates the maximum sum by multiplying the maximum weekly award by the number of weeks the recipient is eligible to receive ILF Scotland funding.
Some recipients have a replacement award at certain times during the year, usually to provide short term care for example respite. Recipients can choose to receive a specific payment for the relevant periods or they can choose to receive an averaged payment see Policy 36 - Short-Term Care. ILF Scotland calculates this by dividing the annual cost of support by the number of weeks a recipient is eligible, and pay this as an average weekly amount.
For the purposes of our calculations, the year runs from 1 April to 31 March and consists of 52 weeks. A recipient cannot request that we take into account unspent monies from a previous financial year.
ILF Scotland can consider making one-off payments to meet non-recurring costs for example PVG checks or health and safety training costs in accordance with our Employer Support Information Note.
If a recipient is admitted to temporary residential care / respite at a registered care home / hospital, ILF Scotland can continue to make payments for up to 28 days. In these circumstances, ILF Scotland recipients should minimise expense and rearrange or cancel support where possible.
ILF Scotland can pay for temporary stays for a maximum of 28 days for each stay and for a maximum of 26 weeks in any 52-week period. Recipients are required to provide ILF Scotland with dates of temporary admissions to residential care, respite and hospital.
If the Recipient continues to receive ongoing support from their Personal Assistant or Care Provider while they are in a hospital / care setting, ILF Scotland can continue to pay the award for a period of up to six months. Any decision to extend the payment beyond six months will be at the discretion of ILF Scotland’s Management Team. Please see Policy 38 Suspension and Reinstatement of an ILF Scotland Award for more information.
ILF Scotland will establish whether the Health & Social Care Partnership / Trust will continue to meet the Threshold Sum during periods of temporary stays in alternative accommodation although it can decide to make a payment whether or not this is the case.
Similarly, it may continue to make a payment whether or not the recipient continues to receive the highest rate of DLA care component (see Linking Periods below).
A recipient can use ILF Scotland funding to:
Linking periods occur when a recipient enters hospital or residential care for less than 28 days, is discharged and is then readmitted within 28 days. In such situations, DWP add the period(s) in hospital or residential care together and adjust benefits after a total of 28 days.
Once a recipient returns home, the rate of DLA / AA / CAA they received before going into hospital or respite must resume for payments to continue.
ILF Scotland recipients may set aside funding during the year to use at different times to meet their independent living outcomes. This might be to meet employer’s costs for example National Insurance contributions or holiday pay. Alternatively, a recipient might save to pay for support for a holiday later in the year.
At any time, recipients may hold a contingency of one week’s funding for unexpected expenditure.
Where a recipient has accumulated unspent money in excess of the allowable amounts outlined above, recipients should return this unspent money to ILF Scotland.
Where a recipient has accrued unspent money because of ongoing changes to care or support needs, ILF Scotland may consider that a review and reassessment of support requirements is necessary.
If a recipient’s circumstances change and they cease to be eligible for funding part way through a year but have continued to receive ILF Scotland funding, this may result in an overpayment of funds, which will have to be returned to ILF Scotland.
Version 1: 1 July 2015
Version 2: 24 May 2021
Version 3: 1 October 2022
Version 4: 1 August 2024
Version 5: 18 February 2025
Policy 4 - Recipient Contribution
Policy 36 - Short Term Care
Policy 38 - Suspension and Reinstatement of an ILF Scotland Award
Policy 41 - Use of ILF Scotland Funding
Employer Support Information Note
