What should I write in the Attendance Allowance form boxes?

Describe the help and supervision you need on a bad day in detail: how long tasks take, what you cannot do at all, the help you need at night, and what happens when no one is there. Specifics beat general phrases.

Does Attendance Allowance depend on my savings?

No. Attendance Allowance is not means-tested, so income and savings are ignored and it is tax-free. It is worth claiming whatever your financial situation.

✓ Verified vs GOV.UK · Citizens Advice · Age UK · Jun 2026

The Attendance Allowance form: how to fill it in so you actually get it.

Q: Do I need medical evidence for Attendance Allowance?

Not necessarily, as the DWP can contact your GP. But a short supporting letter from your GP, consultant, district nurse or occupational therapist describing how your condition affects daily life makes the claim stronger.

Q: Can someone help me fill in the form?

Yes. Age UK on 0800 678 1602 and Citizens Advice help fill in Attendance Allowance forms for free, and people who get help are more likely to be awarded.

Attendance Allowance is worth up to £114.60 a week — tax-free, not means-tested, yours whatever your savings. But it's won or lost in the blank boxes of the AA1 form. Here's how to fill them in properly.

£76.70Lower rate / week (day OR night)

£114.60Higher rate / week (day AND night)

Not means-testedSavings & income ignored

Call firstIt backdates your claim

DO THIS BEFORE YOU WRITE A WORD

Phone for the form — it backdates your money

If you call the Attendance Allowance helpline to request the form, your claim usually starts from the date of that call — as long as you return it within six weeks. Fill in a form you downloaded and you lose those weeks. Helpline: 0800 731 0122 (textphone 0800 731 0317).

GOV.UK: how to claim →

The one rule that wins the claim

The decision-maker can't see you. They only know what's written in the boxes. The blank description boxes (around questions 28–46) matter far more than the tick boxes. Don't just tick "yes" and write a number — describe the help and supervision you need, on a bad day, in your own words.

Weak: "I struggle with dressing." → Strong: "It takes me about 40 minutes to get dressed. I can't manage buttons or zips, so my daughter has to do them. On a bad day with my arthritis I can't lift my arms to put a top on at all, and I have to wait for help."

Five things people get wrong

Being too stoic. The biggest mistake. People who "get by" understate their needs and get refused or under-awarded. Describe the worst days, not your best.
Forgetting night-time help. Higher rate needs day and night needs — write in any help getting to the toilet, turning over, taking medication, or being checked on at night.
Only ticking boxes. Use the blank boxes to explain how long things take, what you can't do at all, and what happens when no one helps.
Listing housework. Attendance Allowance is about personal care and supervision (washing, dressing, eating, the toilet, moving safely, taking medication) — not cleaning, cooking from scratch or gardening.
Leaving out supervision. If you need someone around to keep you safe (falls, confusion, seizures), that counts even if they don't physically "do" a task.

Keep a "bad week" diary before you write, noting each time you needed help or supervision, day and night, and how long things took. Then transfer it into the boxes. It makes the form far more convincing — and far less stressful to fill in.

Evidence & the help that's free

You don't have to send medical evidence — the DWP can contact your GP. But a short supporting letter from your GP, consultant, district nurse or occupational therapist describing how your condition affects you day to day (not just the diagnosis) makes a real difference. Citizens Advice and Age UK (0800 678 1602) will help you fill in the form for free — and people who get help are more likely to be awarded.

It's worth claiming even if you have savings or a pension. Attendance Allowance ignores income and savings entirely, and getting it can also unlock extra Pension Credit, Council Tax Reduction and Carer's Allowance for someone who helps you.

Do this now

Phone 0800 731 0122 to request the form (this sets your start date).
Keep a bad-week care diary while you wait for it to arrive.
Fill the blank boxes with specific, worst-day detail — day and night.
Ask your GP for a short supporting letter, and get free form help from Age UK or Citizens Advice.
Return it within six weeks to protect your backdated start date.

Sources & last checked. GOV.UK (Attendance Allowance / how to claim / AA1 form), Citizens Advice (Help with filling in the Attendance Allowance form), Age UK. Last verified June 2026. Rates: lower £76.70/wk, higher £114.60/wk for 2026/27. Attendance Allowance is for people over State Pension age in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; in Scotland the equivalent is Pension Age Disability Payment. Confidence: high.

This is guidance, not legal advice. Free help: Age UK 0800 678 1602 or Citizens Advice. Crisis help stays free.

Common questions

Should I phone first or just download the form?

Phone first on 0800 731 0122. If you request the form by phone, your claim usually starts from the date of the call as long as you return it within six weeks — so phoning can backdate your money by weeks compared with downloading and posting a form.

What should I write in the boxes?

Describe the help and supervision you need on a bad day, in detail: how long tasks take, what you can't do at all, the help you need at night, and what happens when no one is there. Specifics ("40 minutes to dress, can't do buttons") beat general phrases ("I struggle").

Do I need medical evidence?

Not necessarily — the DWP can contact your GP. But a short supporting letter from your GP, consultant, district nurse or OT describing how your condition affects daily life makes the claim stronger.

Does it matter how much I have in savings?

No. Attendance Allowance is not means-tested — your income and savings are ignored, and it's tax-free. It's worth claiming whatever your financial situation.

Can someone help me fill it in?

Yes. Age UK (0800 678 1602) and Citizens Advice help fill in Attendance Allowance forms for free, and people who get help are more likely to be awarded.

DON'T STOP AT ONE

Attendance Allowance often unlocks more money

Pension Credit, Council Tax Reduction, Carer's Allowance and the Warm Home Discount can all follow. Run a free, no-login scan of everything you could be owed.

Run the money scan →