Stairlift Grants

A stairlift is a meaningful purchase, often four-figure, sometimes five. The single most useful thing to know before quoting is whether the cost falls on the family or whether a grant covers some or all of it. This guide walks the four ways stairlifts get funded in the UK: the Disabled Facilities Grant, NHS and social services equipment provision, charity grants, and private finance.

If you are still working out whether a stairlift is the right answer at all, see Is It Time For A Stairlift? first. For prices, see stairlift prices.

The four ways to fund a stairlift

1. Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG). The main public route. Paid by the local council, up to a per-application cap. Means-tested. Covers most or all of the cost for many qualifying applicants.

2. NHS or social services. For some clinical situations, the NHS or local social services provide stairlifts directly as equipment, free at the point of use. Less common than DFG but worth checking.

3. Charity grants. A handful of UK charities offer grants toward stairlifts, particularly for older adults, veterans, and people with specific conditions. Often used to cover the gap between DFG and the actual cost.

4. Private finance. Where grants do not cover the full cost (or do not apply), the family pays itself, sometimes spread via FCA-regulated finance offered by the installer.

Most successful applications use a combination, typically DFG plus charity to cover any shortfall.

Who qualifies for a stairlift grant

The DFG is the main route, so qualification is mostly about meeting DFG criteria. The headline rules:

• The applicant must be the homeowner or tenant, with the homeowner’s permission if a tenant.
• The applicant or someone living with them must be classed as disabled, which in DFG terms includes mobility limitations affecting use of the home.
• The work must be necessary and appropriate, evidenced by an occupational therapist’s recommendation.
• The work must be reasonable and practicable for the property.
• Means test: the applicant’s income and savings determine how much (if any) they contribute. Children under 19 are exempt from the means test.

The DFG is not age-restricted. Older adults, working-age adults, and children all qualify if the criteria are met. See full qualification details.

Disabled Facilities Grant explained

The DFG is a statutory grant administered by local authorities in England and Wales (with similar schemes in Scotland and Northern Ireland). It pays for adaptations to the home that help a disabled person live there safely and independently. Stairlifts are one of the most commonly funded items.

The application path:

1. Get an occupational therapist assessment. Free through the NHS or social services. The OT’s report is the most important document in the application. More on OT assessments.
2. Apply through the local council. Most councils have a dedicated DFG team. The OT report is submitted with the application.
3. Means assessment. The council assesses income and savings (children’s applications are exempt).
4. Approval and works. Once approved, the council pays the installer directly. The applicant rarely handles the money.

Common pitfalls: applying without an OT report (most councils will not progress the application), choosing the installer before the council surveyor (the council may need to specify), and underestimating the wait (DFG processing varies by region, often months).

For the gov.uk authoritative version see gov.uk/disabled-facilities-grants.

Grant amounts

The DFG has a per-application cap, set nationally and updated periodically. The current cap covers most stairlift installations including straight, narrow, and standard curved lifts in many regions. Outdoor lifts and complex curved configurations sometimes exceed the cap.

For the current cap and any regional variations, see the gov.uk page, which is the authoritative source.

If the recommended lift exceeds the cap, the family pays the shortfall. This is where charity grants or private finance fill the gap. See if the grant does not cover everything below.

Grants for elderly homeowners

Older adult homeowners are the most common DFG applicants. Two notes specific to this group.

Income and savings. The means test looks at the applicant’s income and savings. Pension income counts, but DFG is not tested against the property itself. An asset-rich, income-modest pensioner often qualifies for a meaningful grant contribution.

Reluctance to apply. Many older homeowners are reluctant to apply for “benefits”, reading the DFG that way. It is not means-tested in the welfare sense, it is a building works grant for adaptations. The application is administrative, not welfare. Family members helping a relative through it usually find the process more manageable than the relative does alone.

For tenants and council housing applicants the route is similar but with the landlord’s permission. More on tenant applications.

Can grants be used for reconditioned stairlifts

Yes, in many cases. The DFG covers the cost of a stairlift, and reconditioned models are usually significantly cheaper, which means the grant goes further. Some councils prefer reconditioned where it meets the user’s needs because it stretches the public budget.

Conditions to confirm with the council: the reconditioner is BHTA-registered, the lift comes with a warranty (typically 12 to 24 months), and the reconditioning includes battery and wear-part replacement.

For more on the reconditioned route see buy, rent or reconditioned.

What if the grant does not cover everything

This is the most common middle-ground situation: the DFG covers the cap and the family pays the difference. Three routes for the shortfall.

Charity grants. Several UK charities offer grants specifically toward home adaptation costs not met by DFG. Independence at Home, Turn2us, the Family Fund (for families with disabled children), and a number of regional charities all run grant programmes. Application paths vary by charity. See charities that help with stairlifts for the working list.

Veterans and armed forces. If the user has served in the armed forces, the Royal British Legion, SSAFA, and Veterans UK all offer support that includes home adaptations. Often more flexible than DFG. Veterans support routes.

Reconditioned route. Switching from a new lift to a reconditioned one often closes the shortfall entirely, particularly for straight installs.

Private finance. The remaining shortfall, if any, is covered by the family directly or through finance offered by the installer.

Stairlift finance and instalments

Most major UK installers offer finance plans, often spread over 24 to 60 months. Things to check before signing.

• FCA regulation. The lender must be Financial Conduct Authority regulated. Reputable installers use FCA-regulated finance partners.
• APR. Read the headline rate and total repayable. Long terms mean meaningfully more interest paid.
• Early-settlement option. Most regulated agreements allow early settlement without penalty after the first 28 days, but confirm in writing.
• Cooling-off period. Standard regulated agreements include a 14-day cooling-off period.
• What happens if the user passes away. The agreement is between the lender and the borrower. The estate is normally liable for the balance. Some lenders waive on bereavement, most do not. Read the terms.

If you are eligible for DFG, complete the DFG application before signing finance. The grant pays the installer directly, which removes the need to finance the portion the grant covers.

Local council schemes

Beyond the DFG, some councils run their own discretionary grant schemes for older or disabled residents. These vary widely by region. Some cover small adaptations (handrails, lighting) up to a few hundred pounds. Others run top-up schemes for DFG applicants whose costs exceed the cap.

To find your council’s scheme, search “[your council name] disabled facilities grant” or “[your council name] home adaptations grant”. Most councils publish the application route on a single page. Local council stairlift grants overview.

NHS support and referrals

The NHS does not generally fit stairlifts as routine equipment, but does provide them in some situations: post-discharge equipment loans (after a stroke or major operation), children’s equipment provision (often through the local children’s community team), and hospice or palliative care equipment loans.

The route is usually through the GP, the discharge team, or the relevant clinical team. For stairlifts specifically the NHS more commonly funds via the OT-DFG route than direct equipment provision. See NHS support routes.

Social services funding

Local authority social services teams include occupational therapists who assess home adaptation needs. They can provide an OT assessment that supports a DFG application, provide small items of equipment directly (perch stools, grab rails, second handrails), and in some cases arrange a stairlift directly through council provision.

The route is to ring the council’s adult social care team and ask for a Care Act assessment. The OT visit follows. Social services funding routes.

Charity grants

The major charity routes for stairlift funding:

• Independence at Home. Grants toward home equipment for older and disabled people.
• Turn2us. A grants directory plus their own grant programmes.
• The Family Fund. Grants for families with disabled children.
• Royal British Legion. Veterans and ex-service families.
• SSAFA. Armed forces charity, similar remit.
• Age UK. Local Age UK branches sometimes have small grant programmes.
• Condition-specific charities. Stroke Association, Parkinson’s UK, MS Society, Cerebral Palsy charities, and others sometimes fund equipment for their service users.

Most charity applications are a few weeks of paperwork and a means or condition test. Apply alongside the DFG, not after, because charity funding can sometimes start before the DFG application completes. Full charity directory.

The application checklist

If you are about to apply for a stairlift grant, these are the documents and steps that make the difference:

1. Occupational therapist assessment in writing, with specific equipment recommendation.
2. GP letter if requested, confirming the medical context.
3. Proof of identity and address for the applicant.
4. Proof of income and savings for the means test (DFG only).
5. Property details: ownership status, tenure, landlord permission if rented.
6. Two or three quotes from BHTA-registered installers, where the council does not specify.
7. Council application form completed in full.
8. Photographs of the staircase if requested.

Keep copies of everything. The application sometimes needs resubmission if the council changes hands or surveyor.

Sources cited

• gov.uk, Disabled Facilities Grant, gov.uk/disabled-facilities-grants
• NHS, home equipment, nhs.uk
• Age UK, paying for adaptations, ageuk.org.uk
• British Healthcare Trades Association, member directory, bhta.com
• Royal College of Occupational Therapists, rcot.co.uk

Related guides

• Is it time for a stairlift?
• Types of stairlift
• Stairlift prices
• Buy, rent or reconditioned
• Living with a stairlift
• What an occupational therapist does

Last reviewed: May. Author: Jacob Whitmore, Editor. Editorial policy: how we research, source and verify.