Stairlift grants and funding
Tick what applies to the person who will use the lift and see the grants, tax reliefs and council help in your country, each with the official page and who to ask. Your answers stay in your browser.
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Grants and reliefs in United Kingdom
Disabled Facilities Grant
Checkup to £30,000
Adaptations such as a stairlift. Up to £30,000 in England, £36,000 in Wales and £25,000 in Northern Ireland; some councils pay more. Usually means-tested on household income and savings above £6,000; not for disabled children under 18.
Who can get it: Disabled people who need changes to their home, owners and tenants (England, Wales and Northern Ireland). Not available in Scotland, which has its own support for adaptations.
Where to apply: Your local council (housing or social services); an occupational therapist usually assesses the need.
Depends on income
Official pageSources: GOV.UK, checked Oct 21, 2026 · GOV.UK, checked Oct 21, 2026
VAT relief for disabled people
CheckNo VAT on a stairlift designed or adapted for a disability, its installation, repairs, maintenance and spare parts. You confirm eligibility in writing to the supplier.
Who can get it: People with a physical or mental impairment that affects everyday activities, a chronic illness or a terminal illness. Being older without a disability does not qualify.
Where to apply: Sign the supplier's eligibility declaration before you buy.
Official pageSources: GOV.UK, checked Oct 21, 2026
A guide, not a decision: the council, fund or tax office decides. Apply before ordering where the scheme says so.
How funding for a stairlift works
Help with the cost usually comes from one of four places:
- A grant from the council or a public fund, often means-tested and often only after an assessment by an occupational therapist. In the UK this is the Disabled Facilities Grant; in Ireland the Housing Adaptation Grant.
- The care or health insurance, for people with a recognised care level, such as Germany's care fund grant of up to €4,180 per measure.
- Tax and VAT reliefs, such as the UK's VAT relief for disabled people or Italy's 4% VAT and 19% income-tax deduction.
- The council providing the lift itself, as municipalities can under the Dutch Wmo.
Before you order
- Ask first, order later. Many schemes only pay if they approved the work before it started. Send the installer's quote with the application.
- Keep the paperwork: the quote, the invoice, any assessment or prescription.
- Don't let a salesperson rush you. No grant requires you to sign on the day.
Country guides
Grants in the UK · Ireland · United States · Canada · Germany · France · Italy · Netherlands
Frequently asked questions
Can I get a free stairlift?
Sometimes the council or a fund pays all of it, for example through a means-tested grant or a council that provides the lift. More often a grant covers part of the cost. Check your country above.
Do I have to apply before buying?
For most grants, yes: the work must be approved before it starts. Tax reliefs are usually claimed afterwards with the invoice.
Does FiveStair store my answers?
No. The grant checker runs in your browser and nothing you tick is sent to us. We never store health information.
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