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Stairlift grants and help with the cost

Many people never pay the full price of a stairlift. Councils fund them through the Disabled Facilities Grant, Scotland has its own scheme, and almost everyone who needs one because of a disability or long-term illness pays no VAT.

This page sets out each route, what to say, and the one mistake that costs families the grant.

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England, most a grant can be
£30,000
Wales
£36,000
Northern Ireland
£25,000
Scotland
At least 80% 100% on certain benefits
From GOV.UK and Citizens Advice Scotland, read November 2026.General information, not financial advice.

The Disabled Facilities Grant in short

A Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) is money from your local council to adapt a home so a disabled person can keep living there. GOV.UK names a stairlift as an example of the access it pays for, and it does not affect any benefits.

  • The disabled person must live in the home and plan to stay for the grant period, usually five years.
  • The applicant can be the owner, a tenant or a landlord.
  • The council must agree the stairlift is needed, and that it is reasonable and practical for the house.
  • The grant is usually means tested on household income and savings over £6,000. Disabled children under 18 are not means tested.
  • Some councils give more than the maximum, or offer a low-cost loan for the rest.
The one mistake to avoid

Do not order or start the stairlift before the council approves the grant in writing. GOV.UK says you may not get a grant if work starts before approval. If the stairs are dangerous now, tell the council, and ask an installer about a short rental while you wait.

How the council route works in England

Wales and Northern Ireland follow similar steps. In Northern Ireland the grant is run through the Housing Executive after an occupational therapy referral.

  1. Ask the council for an assessment

    Contact adult social care (or children’s services for a child). Ask for an occupational therapy assessment for a stairlift. A GP or hospital team can refer you too.

  2. An assessor visits

    An occupational therapist or trained assessor sees how the person manages the stairs and decides whether a stairlift is the right adaptation. Sometimes it is a rail, a bed downstairs, or a through-floor lift instead.

  3. The grant application

    You apply to the council’s housing or grants team. They check the work is necessary, reasonable and practical for the home, and test household income and savings.

  4. The decision

    In England the council must decide within six months. Do not order the stairlift before approval, or you may get no grant.

  5. The lift is fitted

    Some councils use their own contractor; others let you choose a firm and pay them direct. Work should be finished within 12 months of approval.

Scotland: the scheme of assistance

Scotland does not have a Disabled Facilities Grant. Each council runs a scheme of assistance instead, and for essential adaptations such as a stairlift it must pay a grant of at least 80% of the approved cost.

The grant rises to 100% if someone in the household gets Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Pension Credit Guarantee Credit, income-related Employment and Support Allowance or Universal Credit. Councils cannot set a fixed upper limit; the assessment of need decides.

Start with the council’s social work or adult care team and ask for an occupational therapy assessment. Care and Repair services in many areas help older people through the paperwork.

VAT relief: the saving almost everyone gets

Stairlifts for a chronically sick or disabled person’s home can be sold VAT free. The relief is not means tested and does not depend on benefits. The user, or a relative or carer on their behalf, signs a short declaration that the supplier keeps.

  • Fitting a qualifying lift is zero-rated too, and so are repairs and servicing for the eligible person.
  • Renting a qualifying lift to an eligible person can also be zero-rated.
  • People aged 60 or over who are not disabled can get a reduced rate when the same firm supplies and fits the lift.
  • Compare quotes on the same basis: one may show VAT and another not.

Grant approved, or paying yourself? We can find a stairlift installer who covers your area.

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Other help worth asking about

  • Home improvement agencies. Many councils work with a local agency (often called Care and Repair or Staying Put) that helps older people apply and organise the work.
  • Charities. Some charities help with the cost of equipment for particular groups, such as former armed forces members and their families, or farming families. Most want a referral from a health or social care worker.
  • Attendance Allowance or PIP. These are not for a stairlift as such, but they are not means tested and many families use them to help pay for one, or for servicing.
  • Equity release or family help. If the grant does not cover everything, the council’s grants team may know of local loan schemes. Get independent advice before borrowing against a home.

Once the funding is clear, our stairlift cost calculator shows what is left to pay.

Questions about paying for a stairlift

Can I get a grant for a stairlift?

Often, yes. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland a stairlift is one of the main things a Disabled Facilities Grant pays for, if the council agrees it is needed. In Scotland the scheme of assistance pays at least 80% of the cost. Both are assessed on need first, then usually on income and savings.

Will the council pay for a stairlift?

They may pay all or part of it through a grant. GOV.UK says the amount depends on household income and savings over £6,000, and that you may have to contribute. Disabled children under 18 get a grant without their parents’ income being counted.

How long does a stairlift grant take?

The council has up to six months to decide in England, and waiting lists for the assessment can add to that. If the stairs are unsafe now, ask about renting a straight lift in the meantime, or whether the council fast-tracks stairlifts.

Can you get a stairlift on the NHS?

Not usually. The NHS supplies some equipment, but stairlifts are normally funded through the council’s adaptations service. A GP, physiotherapist or hospital occupational therapist can refer you to it.

Do I pay VAT on a stairlift?

Not if the user is chronically sick or disabled and it is for their home. HMRC lets the supplier zero-rate the lift, its fitting, and later repairs, against a signed declaration. People aged 60 or over who do not qualify can get a reduced rate on supply and fitting together. See VAT Notice 701/7.

Can I get a grant if I rent my home?

Yes. Tenants can apply, with the landlord’s agreement, and landlords can apply for a disabled tenant. Council and housing association tenants usually go through their landlord’s adaptations service instead.

What if I am refused a grant?

You can ask the council to look again, and then complain to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. Foundations, the national body for home improvement agencies, can help with applications in England.

Keep reading

Where our information comes from

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Three short steps: where the stairs are, what they are like, and how to reach you. About two minutes. You can fill it in for a parent or relative.

  1. We look for a stairlift installer who covers your area and fits your kind of stairs.
  2. We tell you who it is. Your details reach them only if you say yes.
  3. They survey the stairs, free, and give you a written price.

Nobody contacts you until you say yes, and you can stop at any point.

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