Benefits you can claim if your child has special needs

Having a child always drops a grenade into your family finances – and having a child with special needs can have a even larger impact on your resources.

Our special needs webguide has links to heaps of useful organisations

In the UK, state benefits are there to enable you to look after your child as well as possible and to help provide your child with the things they need. There are various benefits you may be entitled to as the parent (or carer) of a child with special needs.

Unfortunately, the benefits system can be fairly complicated and certain benefits are deducted from other benefits, for example: "Child Tax Credits isn't included as income for Carers Allowance. But Carers Allowance is included as income for Child Tax Credits." Do you see? No, nor do we actually. And we've got degrees and everything.

Frankly, it's rather complicated and you will may need to do quite a bit of research to work out what you are entitled to apply for and how best to complete all the forms. And, once that's done, be prepared to have to keep chasing various benefits departments to ensure your claim is properly processed. Ready yourself for a bit of a slog.

"Honestly, I feel like I am having a relationship with the people on the helplines the amount I have had to ring them back." Fio2

So to try to help you navigate your way through the benefits maze, we've used other Mumsnetters' hard-won knowledge about the following financial help so you don't have to reinvent the benefits wheel.

And, of course, if you can't find what you're looking for here, there are special needs Talk forums to pick other people's brains about education, your children, teens and pre-teens, legal and financial issues, plus your recommendations about anything you thing will help other parents and, if you're a parent with disabilities, space to share experiences.