Who is eligible?
You can claim Attendance Allowance if all four of these are true:
- You are over State Pension age (currently 66 in the UK)
- You have a physical or mental disability or illness — including dementia, arthritis, Parkinson's, COPD, sight or hearing loss, mental health conditions
- You have needed help with personal care (washing, dressing, eating, going to the toilet, taking medication) or supervision (to keep yourself safe) for at least 6 months — terminally ill people can claim immediately under "Special Rules"
- You are not in residential care being paid for by the local council
Crucially — you don't need an actual carer
You qualify if you NEED help — even if no-one is currently providing it, or a family member is providing it unpaid. Many people miss this. The test is the need, not the helper.
The two rates
Lower rate — £73.90 a week (£3,843/yr)
You need help OR supervision either during the day OR at night.
Higher rate — £110.40 a week (£5,741/yr)
You need help OR supervision both during the day AND at night. Or you are terminally ill (a doctor or nurse confirms life expectancy may be 12 months or less).
Both rates are paid every 4 weeks straight into a bank account. The money is tax-free and you can spend it on anything — it does not have to be spent on care.
What Attendance Allowance unlocks
Like Pension Credit, Attendance Allowance is a "gateway" to extra support:
- Pension Credit — receiving Attendance Allowance can increase the amount of Pension Credit you get
- Council Tax Reduction — many councils give a discount once you're on Attendance Allowance
- Carer's Allowance for whoever cares for you (currently £83.30/week if they care for 35+ hours)
- Severely Disabled premium on Housing Benefit if you rent
- Blue Badge for parking (in many councils, automatic eligibility on higher rate)
How to claim
Claim it now — free
Have ready: details of the help you need with personal care or supervision, and how often — describe a bad day, not a good day.
- Call the helpline on 0800 731 0122 (Mon-Fri 8am-6pm) and ask them to send form AA1 in the post.
- Or download form AA1 from gov.uk/attendance-allowance.
- Fill in the form carefully. It is long (~30 pages) and asks detailed questions about what help is needed and how often. Don't underplay it — describe a bad day, not a good day.
- Post the form to the address on the back. The DWP usually replies in 6-8 weeks.
Free help filling in the form
Age UK on 0800 678 1602 and your local Citizens Advice (0800 144 8848) both run free home visits to help fill in form AA1. These services dramatically increase the success rate.
If your claim is refused
Around 40% of initial Attendance Allowance claims are refused but a high proportion of these succeed on Mandatory Reconsideration or Tribunal. You have one month from the decision date to request a Mandatory Reconsideration. If that's refused too, you have a further month to appeal to a Tribunal.
Sorted's letter decoder explains DWP decision letters in plain English, and the letter writer drafts a Mandatory Reconsideration.