Attendance Allowance: the rates, the test and what it unlocks

The rates and who can claim

Attendance Allowance is paid at two weekly rates for 2026/27. The lower rate is 76.70 pounds and the higher rate is 114.60 pounds. The 2025/26 rates were 73.90 pounds and 110.40 pounds. Rates increased by 3.8 percent from April 2026, in line with September 2025 CPI inflation, and are confirmed in the DWP publication Benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027. Existing claimants receive the uprated amount automatically each April and DWP sends a letter confirming the new rate.

To claim, a person must be State Pension age or over and have a physical or mental health condition meaning they need help with personal care or supervision. There is normally a qualifying period during which the person must have needed help for at least six months. Terminal illness claims are not subject to that wait. Attendance Allowance is tax free, is paid in addition to the State Pension and does not reduce it, and is normally paid every four weeks. It does not include a mobility component. People under State Pension age claim Personal Independence Payment instead, which covers daily living and mobility.

What the test actually asks

The most misunderstood point about Attendance Allowance is that the question is whether help is needed, not whether it is given or paid for. A person can claim even if nobody is actually providing the care. Someone living alone with nobody assisting them can qualify. The test looks at the effect of a physical or mental health condition on the need for personal care or supervision, not at who turns up to deliver it or whether money changes hands. A diagnosis alone does not decide an award. Two people with the same condition can reach different outcomes because the question is how that condition affects the need for help with things such as washing, dressing, eating, taking medication safely, or being watched over to avoid danger.

Attendance Allowance covers personal care and supervision rather than mobility. That distinction matters because there is no mobility component in Attendance Allowance at all, so difficulties with walking or getting around do not form part of the test. What counts is the need for help with the body and with staying safe. If you are helping a parent, it can be tempting to think that because you do the tasks yourself, there is nothing to claim. The opposite is true: the fact that help is needed is the qualifying factor, and the fact that a family member provides it free of charge does not remove entitlement. Attendance Allowance is one of the most under-claimed benefits in the UK, and this gap between need and award is a large part of the reason.

Filling in the AA1 without underselling it

The claim is made on form AA1, which can be requested by phone from the Attendance Allowance helpline on 0800 731 0122 or downloaded from GOV.UK. The form is long, and the way it is completed has a direct bearing on the outcome. The practical approach is to describe a bad day rather than a good one. If mornings are difficult three days out of seven, the form should say so, because a description of the best day understates the need. Say how long each task takes and how often help is needed. Say what happens when help is not there, because that is what the test is asking about. If a parent needs prompting to eat or cannot get to the bathroom unaided at night, that belongs on the form in plain terms.

People commonly play down their needs. This is the single most frequent reason a claim fails or is awarded at the lower rate rather than the higher rate. There is no advantage in being modest on the form, and no penalty for describing the full picture. Supporting evidence helps, such as letters from a GP or specialist, and it is worth keeping a copy of everything sent. A copy allows you to check later what was said, and to refer back to it if the care needs change. The form asks about day and night separately, so it is worth thinking about each in turn rather than treating the day as the whole story. This is not medical advice, and nobody can be told whether to claim, but the form rewards detail and honesty about the difficult parts of the week.

Protecting the claim date

Requesting the form by phone on 0800 731 0122 fixes the claim date as the day of the call, provided the form comes back within six weeks. That single phone call can be worth several weeks of payment. An award is generally paid from the claim date, so a call made before a long form-filling period protects the earlier date. If the form is requested online or downloaded and posted later, the claim date is later, and the difference can run into hundreds of pounds. The six-week window is the condition attached to the phone call, so the form needs to be completed and returned inside that period for the earlier date to hold.

This matters most in exactly the situations where form filling takes longest. Gathering letters from a GP or specialist, waiting for a relative to help with the paperwork, or simply finding a clear few hours can all push a form past a deadline. Making the call first removes that risk. The claim date is fixed at the point of the call, and the form can then be completed carefully rather than quickly. If you are helping a parent, the call can be made on their behalf to request the form, and the date is still protected. It is a small administrative step with a disproportionate effect on the amount eventually paid.

What an award unlocks

Attendance Allowance is disregarded as income when means-tested benefits are calculated, so it does not reduce other support. Receiving it can qualify a person for the severe disability addition within Pension Credit, which generally applies where the person receives Attendance Allowance, lives alone or is treated as living alone, and nobody is paid Carer's Allowance for looking after them. Pension Credit is itself a gateway to other help including Council Tax Reduction, the Warm Home Discount, and a free TV licence for people aged 75 or over. The combined value of these linked entitlements can be considerably more than the Attendance Allowance itself, which is why the knock-on effect is one of the two things that matter most.

Where someone provides at least 35 hours of care a week, they may be able to claim Carer's Allowance, but only where the person they care for receives Attendance Allowance at either rate. There is a complication to check rather than assume. The interaction between Carer's Allowance and the severe disability addition means one can cancel the other, so it is worth checking the combination rather than assuming both apply. In some households the severe disability addition is worth more, and in others Carer's Allowance is, depending on circumstances. The point is that an Attendance Allowance award opens a set of linked decisions, and each combination needs to be looked at on its own facts.

Scotland, and what happens next

In Scotland, Attendance Allowance is being replaced by Pension Age Disability Payment, administered by Social Security Scotland. People in Scotland should check which applies to them, because the administration and the route to claim differ even where the underlying purpose is similar. Elsewhere, the practicalities are straightforward. Attendance Allowance is normally paid every four weeks, and it is uprated automatically each April, with DWP sending a letter confirming the new rate. There is no need to reapply each year to receive the increase.

Changes in care needs should be reported. An increase in need can support a move from the lower rate to the higher rate, and a decrease can affect the award, so keeping the record current works in both directions. Because the higher rate applies where help or supervision is needed both during the day and at night, a change such as waking during the night or needing supervision after dark can be significant. Keeping a copy of the original form makes it easier to describe what has changed since. The award is not means-tested, so savings and income make no difference at any stage, and the focus stays on need rather than on household finances.

Source: GOV.UK: Attendance Allowance.

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Frequently asked questions

Does Attendance Allowance depend on income or savings?

No. Attendance Allowance is not means-tested, so income, pensions and savings do not affect entitlement. It is also tax free and is paid in addition to the State Pension without reducing it.

Can a person claim if nobody is actually providing the care?

Yes. The test is whether help with personal care or supervision is needed, not whether it is given or paid for. Someone living alone with nobody assisting them can qualify.

What is the difference between the lower and higher rate?

The lower rate of 76.70 pounds applies where frequent help or supervision is needed either during the day or during the night. The higher rate of 114.60 pounds applies where help or supervision is needed both during the day and at night, or where the person is terminally ill.

How can the claim date be protected?

Requesting form AA1 by phone on 0800 731 0122 fixes the claim date as the day of the call, provided the form is returned within six weeks. An award is generally paid from the claim date.

What does an award unlock beyond the Attendance Allowance itself?

It is disregarded as income for means-tested benefits and can add the severe disability addition to Pension Credit where the person lives alone and nobody is paid Carer's Allowance for them. Pension Credit opens the door to Council Tax Reduction, the Warm Home Discount and a free TV licence for the over-75s.