If you receive disability-related benefits an allowance may be made in your social care financial assessment to pay for necessary disability-related spend to meet any needs which are not being met by the Council.
DRE only applies to non-residential financial assessments for service users receiving a community care service, such as day care, home care, and direct payments and do not apply to financial assessments for service users in residential care.
DRE will be considered when:
- The extra cost is needed to meet your specific need due to a disability or medical condition, and this is not being met by the Council; and
- The cost is reasonable and can be verified (we may ask for evidence where required, for example, receipts, invoices)
Wigan Council has developed this factsheet to help you understand some of the more recognised DRE items, with associated indications of reasonable costs. This is used to assist in working out DRE allowances in your financial assessment.
Disability-related expenditure guide amounts
Additional laundry
Amount: An allowance of £5.48 per week depending on circumstances.
Evidence required: Receipts.
Basic gardening
Amount: Actual cost up to a maximum of £6.58 per week. Average cost to be calculated over a period of 30 weeks per year taking into account seasonal fluctuations.
Evidence required: Receipts, bank statements, bills or cheque stubs.
Private domestic help (eg cleaner)
Amount: An allowance of £12.21 per hour up to a maximum of 3 hours per week OR actual weekly cost of the cleaner, whichever is lower. Please note the amount will be halved if part of a couple.
Evidence required: Receipts, bills or cheque stubs.
Private help with shopping/online shopping
Amount: Actual cost up to a maximum of £5.48 per week.
Evidence required: Receipts, bills or cheque stubs.
Special dietary needs (diet and food)
Amount: Allowance up to a maximum of £5.64 per week, where specific diet required due to a diagnosed health condition (i.e. due to specific illness, condition or food allergy), as documented in your support plan or verified by your Social Worker/Occupational Therapist. Costs above reasonable expenses to be considered as special dietary needs may be more expensive than a normal diet. Allow additional costs incurred (e.g. for a Gluten free loaf of bread, we would allow the difference between a standard loaf of bread and a Gluten free loaf of bread).
Evidence required: Receipts. Details and amounts of special purchases. Specific diet noted in support plan/self-assessment, or confirmation from Social Worker/Occupational Therapist. We may seek permission to ask your GP or Consultant for confirmation of special dietary needs.
Additional bedding
Amount: An allowance for additional costs for frequent replacement, e.g. because of incontinence, averaged over one year. Maximum amount of £2 per week.
Evidence required: Receipts.
Additional clothing and footwear
Amount: An allowance of £5.48 per week for additional clothing /footwear and frequent replacements due to additional wear and tear caused by disability.
Evidence required: Receipts.
Community alarm system
Amount: Only included if this is paid for privately.
Evidence required: Bills from provider or entries on bank statements.
Equipment - as documented in your support plan or verified by your Social Worker (if not supplied free of charge, through Adult Services or the NHS)
Amount: An allowance for equipment under £100 averaged over 1 year. An allowance for equipment over £100 purchased over the previous 12 months, averaged over 2 years. Allow for equipment over £2,000 purchased over last 5 years, averaged over 5 years. Example of allowable equipment: stair lift, specialist chair, wheelchair, powered bed, turning bed.
Evidence required: Receipts of proof of purchase. Copy of support plan or confirmation from Social Worker/Occupational Therapist. In cases of doubt, Social Worker/Social Care Officer/Occupational Therapist should confirm that this is a disability related requirement.
Equipment maintenance (if not maintained by Adult Services or the NHS)
Amount: An allowance for the actual cost of maintenance. Equipment maintenance cost would be relevant to the items listed above.
Evidence required: Receipts, bills or entries on bank statements.
Incontinence protection products
Please note incontinence pads are provided by the NHS.
Amount: Gloves £2.19 per week. Kylie sheets £7.66 per week.
Evidence required: Receipts. In cases of doubt, Social Worker/Social Care Officer should confirm that these costs can be taken into account.
Hair washing
Amount: Actual cost of washing and drying where service user is unable to wash own hair. Allow actual average weekly costs up to a maximum of £5.48 per week.
Evidence required: Receipts, bills or cheque stubs. Copy of Support Plan or confirmation from Social Worker/Occupational Therapist.
Replacement mattresses
Amount: An allowance for the actual cost, averaged over 12 to 24 months depending on cost.
Evidence required: Receipts of proof of purchase.
Communication needs
Amount: Costs for telephone or internet access would be considered an everyday living expense, unless this cost can be proved to be linked to a disability you have and is detailed in your support plan or verified by your Social Worker or Occupational Therapist.
Evidence required: Receipts, bills from provider. Copy of support plan or confirmation from Social Worker/Occupational Therapist.
Transport/petrol costs
Amount: Transport can be considered if costs are not being met by the Council and expenditure is in excess of the mobility component of Disability Living Allowance/Personal Independence Payment. Any additional costs above everyday expenditure or the mobility element would need to be evidenced over a two month period, be related to a disability you have and verified in your support plan/conformed by your Social Worker or Occupational Therapist.
Evidence required: Minimum of four receipts over a two month period Confirmation of appointments and/or costs. Copy of support plan or confirmation from Social Worker/Occupational Therapist. The full amount may not be considered if transport can be arranged cheaper.
Additional heating or water
Note: If using oxygen, your electricity provider will offer a discounted rate.
Amount: Heating costs, or metered costs of water, compared against average costs for the area and housing type. Actual gas and electricity paid, averaged over 1 year, minus the annual average amounts. See table below for further details around national guidelines for heating costs.
Evidence required: Bills from provider covering previous 12 months.
Heating costs
Any expenditure above the figures in the table below can be considered towards DRE:
Heating costs
| Figures for 2025/2026 | Estimated average annual dual fuel energy bill |
|---|
| Low: 1-2 bedrooms |
£1,261.04 |
| Medium: 3-4 bedrooms |
£1738.38 |
| High: 5 plus bedrooms |
£2435.12 |
Where the service user can demonstrate that their costs exceed the maximum guide amounts for an item or service, due to special circumstances and with good reason, the Assessment Team Manager will decide whether these additional expenses will be allowed. In exceptional circumstances, cases may be referred to Adult Social Care Senior Managers for approval.
Exclusions
A DRE will not be made for the following expenditure:
- General items or services required for daily living, which would be used by the general population
- Holidays
- Lifestyle choices (e.g. Sky TV, meals out)
- Loans including hire purchase and catalogue debts
- Normal food and shopping bills including meals at home and meals at day centres
- Normal household expenses e.g. standard utility bills, telephone bills, TV licence
- Items purchased privately that are available for free on the NHS
- Medical items and chemist items. Vitamins and supplements should be available for free on prescription, if the GP agrees there is a medical need
- The difference between the actual cost and the lower cost alternative where we consider the lower cost alternative is reasonable. For example, if we consider it reasonable for an item to have been purchased at a lower cost than the actual cost of purchase, we will take into account the lower cost as a Disability Related Expense
- Equipment purchased through a Disabled Facilities Grant or provided free of charge through Adult Services or the NHS
- Home improvements and replacement furniture due to wear and tear
- Privately arranged care not deemed as required by your Social Worker or Occupational Therapist and in addition to the care arranged in your support plan.
Evidence/verification of expenses
The above guide indicates what form of evidence you should keep when claiming allowances for disability related items or services. For most items, you will be expected to keep receipts as proof of purchase, or bills for services such as utilities (e.g. gas, electricity). If you are unable to produce receipts for items of DRE you wish to claim as an allowance in your financial assessment, we will use our discretion to determine the reasonableness of the expenditure.
How to contact us
Please contact us through our financial assessment contact form.