Attendance Allowance: extra help when daily life is harder

If you are over State Pension age and a health condition or disability means you need help looking after yourself, or someone to keep an eye on you, Attendance Allowance could put extra money in your pocket. It is one of the most under-claimed benefits for older people. Around 1.7 million people receive it, and roughly a million more could claim but never have, usually because they assume their savings or income will count against them.
They won't. This is money worth claiming, and you don't have to work it all out on your own.

Could you claim?

You may be able to get Attendance Allowance if all of these are true:

You have reached State Pension age, which is currently 66 and slowly rising. If you are younger than that, the benefit to look at is Personal Independence Payment (PIP) instead. And if you already get PIP when you reach State Pension age, you simply carry on with it.
You have a physical or mental health condition or disability. There is no fixed list of conditions that qualify, because what counts is how things affect you day to day, not the name of your diagnosis.
That condition means you need help with personal care, or supervision to keep you safe. There is more on what those mean below.
You have needed that help for at least six months. This wait is waived if you are nearing the end of life.
You are normally resident in Great Britain.

It is worth saying plainly: you can still claim if you live alone, if no one is helping you yet, if you have savings, or if you own your home. What matters is the help you need, not whether you are currently getting it.

It isn't about your money

This is the part people most often get wrong. Attendance Allowance is not means-tested, so your income, pensions and savings make no difference at all, and the money is tax-free. Claiming it will never reduce your other benefits.

If anything, it can increase them. Getting Attendance Allowance can lift your Pension Credit, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction. For example, it can add a severe disability addition to Pension Credit worth over £80 a week in 2026/27. It can also open the door for someone who cares for you at least 35 hours a week to claim Carer's Allowance. Because of these knock-on effects, it is well worth having a free benefits check, which you can read about below, so that nothing gets missed.

How much you get

There are two rates. The lower rate is £76.70 a week, for people who need help or supervision either during the day or during the night. The higher rate is £114.60 a week, for people who need help both day and night, or who are terminally ill. Over a year, the higher rate adds up to almost £5,960.

It is paid every four weeks, straight into your bank account, and the rates are reviewed each April. The money is yours to use however helps most. There is no rule that says it has to be spent on formal care.

What "needing help" means

Help with personal care covers the everyday things: washing, bathing, dressing, eating and drinking, taking medication, getting in and out of bed, and using the toilet. Supervision means needing someone around to keep you safe, perhaps because of falls, confusion, seizures or memory problems. Night-time supervision counts too, even when it isn't hands-on care. If someone needs to be awake to keep you safe, that matters.

How to claim

The simplest way is to phone the Attendance Allowance helpline on 0800 731 0122 (textphone 0800 731 0317), Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, and ask them to send you a claim form.

It really is better to phone than to download the form. If you phone, your payments are backdated to the date you called, as long as you return the form within six weeks. A form you download yourself only counts from the day the DWP receives it, which can quietly cost you several weeks of money. You can also apply online at gov.uk/attendance-allowance.

A few things make a real difference to a claim:

Describe a difficult day, not a good one. Claims often go wrong simply because the form was filled in based on how someone copes at their best.
Say what help you need, even if nobody is giving you that help at the moment.
Send supporting evidence if you can, such as GP letters, care plans or a list of your prescriptions.
It is a long form, so take your time. You don't have to finish it in one sitting, and you can ask someone to help you fill it in.

If you are nearing the end of life

There are kinder, simpler rules here. If a doctor has said you may have twelve months or less to live, you can apply on a fast track. There is no six-month wait, you are awarded the higher rate, and a decision usually comes within about two weeks. Someone can make the claim on your behalf, and they don't have to tell you about the special rules. The number is the same, 0800 731 0122.

If you are turned down

Please don't give up. A great many decisions are overturned. If you are refused, or given the lower rate when you believe you should have the higher one, you can ask for the decision to be looked at again. This is called a mandatory reconsideration, and you need to ask within a month. An adviser can help you with it, and it is well worth taking that help.

Where to get help, locally and nationally

You really don't have to face the form alone. Free, confidential help is there for the asking.

Close to home, across Chesterfield, Bolsover and North East Derbyshire:

Citizens Advice. For Bolsover and North East Derbyshire, call the Adviceline on 0808 250 5702 (9am to 2pm, Monday to Friday). If you live in the Chesterfield Borough area, contact your local Citizens Advice office, which you can find at citizensadvice.org.uk. They can check what you are entitled to and help you complete the form.
Derbyshire County Council's adult care service, which offers free welfare benefits checks. Ask about the First Contact Scheme.
Derbyshire Carers Association, if you care for someone, or someone cares for you.

Across the country:

The Attendance Allowance helpline, on 0800 731 0122, to claim or to report a change.
GOV.UK, at gov.uk/attendance-allowance, for the latest rates and to claim online.

One thing to note: if you move into a care home and the council pays towards your fees, Attendance Allowance usually stops, although you can still claim if you pay your own fees.