Attendance Allowance: a guide for families

Who can get Attendance Allowance?

You can usually get it if all of these apply:

• You are State Pension age or over.
• You have an illness or disability (physical, mental health, learning disability or a sensory condition) that means you need help with personal care or supervision to stay safe.
• You have needed that help for at least 6 months. You can apply before then, but payment starts once the 6 months are up.
• You have lived in Great Britain for 2 of the last 3 years, and have an immigration status that lets you claim public funds.
• You are not getting Personal Independence Payment or the care part of Disability Living Allowance.

You do not need a diagnosis, and you do not need someone to be helping you already. It is the help you need that counts.

Rates for 2026/27

Payments are usually made every four weeks into a bank account.

What counts as "needing help"

Think about a bad day as well as a good one, and about what happens when nobody is there. Help with any of these can count:

• Washing, bathing, dressing and using the toilet.
• Eating and drinking, or being reminded to.
• Taking medicines safely, or being reminded to.
• Moving around the home, getting in and out of bed, or the risk of falling.
• Being supervised because of confusion, memory problems or a risk of harm.
• Needing someone at night: getting to the toilet, turning over, or being unsettled or unsafe.

How to claim

1. Get the form. Claim online on GOV.UK, or call the Attendance Allowance helpline on 0800 731 0122 for a paper form.
2. Describe a typical week, including bad days and nights. Say how often you need help, how long it takes, and what happens if no help is there.
3. Add evidence if you have it: letters from a GP, hospital or therapist, a care plan, or a diary kept for a week.
4. Send it and keep a copy. Your claim usually starts from the day you claim online or the day the form arrives (or from the day you called, if you return the form within 6 weeks).

If someone has been told they may have 12 months or less to live, use the special rules: there is no 6-month wait, the higher rate is paid, and a doctor or nurse completes form SR1. These claims cannot be made online.

It can unlock other help

• Pension Credit: getting Attendance Allowance can add a severe disability addition (£86.05 a week in 2026/27) if you live alone or no one gets Carer's Allowance for you. It can also help with Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction.
• Carer's Allowance: a family carer who provides at least 35 hours a week may be able to claim £86.45 a week, as long as they earn under the limit.

Using it towards care at home

Attendance Allowance is yours to spend, and many families use it towards care at home. It will not pay for live-in care on its own, but it reduces the weekly cost. If the council funds some of your care, it can usually count the allowance as income in its financial assessment, but it must take disability-related costs into account. See paying for care at home and how much live-in care costs.

If the claim is turned down

You can ask for the decision to be looked at again (a "mandatory reconsideration") within one month of the date on the letter. If it is still refused, you can appeal to an independent tribunal. Free help is available from Citizens Advice, Age UK and Independent Age.

Attendance Allowance is paid in England and Wales. In Scotland, new claims are made for Pension Age Disability Payment instead. This guide is general information, not benefits advice.