Benefits once child becomes and adult?

[Oceans1000]

DS is 15 severe learning difficulties and ASD attends a special school and receives DLA high rate for care and mobility.
What happens about benefits when he is an adult? Currently, the benefit money gets added to the household pot and we cover all his needs but will this need to be paid to him when he is an adult?
I'm confused as to how things will be managed when he is an adult as he has no capacity to manage any of this for himself.

You become his appointee for benefits from 16. DWP will visit you and do the paperwork. You are then entitled to continue receiving benefits for him. You will probably be asked to apply to transfer him to PIP soon.

You can claim Universal Credit for him at some point but not usually when in full time education.

It is easier to manage going forward if his benefits go into a different bank account for him only. If he is assessed for care services as an adult, they will want to see the account his benefits go into and will take whatever is in that account as his.

At 15 years and 7 months DWP will write to you to inform you of the upcoming change to PIP and asking if an appointee is necessary. Once you are appointee you can manage the claim and money on DS’s behalf spending the money in DS’s best interests. At 15 years 10 months they will write again reminding you of the changes and then at 16 you will be invited to apply for PIP.

You can claim UC for young people in full time education if they are in receipt of DLA/PIP and have LCW or LCWRA that has been established prior to the start of the course. Contact have more information on this here and here including how to establish LCW/LCWRA prior to the beginning of the next course DS moves on to.

Thank you, that is really helpful info.

Once you become a DWP appointee you will be able to open a bank account in your son's name with you on the account as appointee. The bank that had the best understanding of this was Lloyds when I opened my daughter's account.

They get moved on to pip at 16 my ds2 has just gone on to pip.

If you receive Child Benefit for him, this can continue until he is 20 if he stays in full-time non advanced education. You will need to inform them. It is the same for Child Tax Credits if you already receive those and again you need to inform them. This will also mean that he is entitled to free NHS prescriptions, eye tests and dental care.

As pps have said, you will need to apply for PIP when he is 16 instead of DLA. I seem to remember that it is better to start the application for PIP by requesting the form online as the claim will be backdated to the date you do this. You will be invited to become his appointee.

As with DLA now, all benefits including PIP can continue to be paid into your bank account if you so choose, for you to continue to administer in his best interests. They don't have to go into an account in his name.

It is only thanks to you @FloatingBean I now know about the need to establish LCWRA and to make a credits only ESA claim in order to do this for my DS. Your post and links are much appreciated. I wish I had known all this before!

Also thanks to @vjg13 for the Lloyds Bank recommendation.