Attendance Allowance
Attendance Allowance is a benefit for people over State Pension age in England and Wales who have care needs due to a health condition or disability. It does not include help with mobility needs. In Scotland you may be able to claim Pension Age Disability Payment instead.
Entitlement to Attendance Allowance depends on the level of help you need. This includes both physical support and supervision that you may need with tasks such as washing and bathing, dressing, managing toilet needs, managing medication, eating and drinking, communicating, supervision to keep you safe and help getting around indoors.
You do not have to be receiving help from a carer or another person to qualify for Attendance Allowance. However, if you are getting Attendance Allowance it may help someone who is caring for you qualify for benefits as a carer.
Attendance Allowance is not a ‘means-tested’ benefit. This means that your income and savings are not taken into account when assessing your entitlement. If you get Attendance Allowance it won’t reduce any other benefits you receive and may help you qualify for additional benefits and support.
To qualify for Attendance Allowance, you must have had care needs for at least 6 months, unless you are terminally ill.
Attendance Allowance is paid at two different rates – the lower rate or the higher rate. The rate you get depends on the level of help you need.
You can make a claim for Attendance Allowance online or by post. To claim by post you can either download the claim form to print out and send or contact the Attendance Allowance helpline on 0800 731 0122 (Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm) to request a claim form to be sent out to you.
The address to send your completed claim form is:
Freepost
DWP Attendance Allowance
You can find a detailed guide to Attendance Allowance on Age UK’s website.
If you need help with your Attendance Allowance claim we recommend that you contact Age UK or Citizens Advice. Alternatively, you may be able to find another local organisation who can help by searching on the Advice Local website.
This advice applies in England, Wales and Scotland. If you live in another part of the UK, the law may differ. Please call our helpline for more details. If you are in Northern Ireland you can visit the Labour Relations Agency or call their helpline Workplace Information Service on 03300 555 300.
If you have further questions and would like to contact our advice team please use our advice contact form below or call us.
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The information on the law contained on this site is provided free of charge and does not, and is not intended to, amount to legal advice to any person on a specific case or matter. If you are not a solicitor, you are advised to obtain specific legal advice about your case or matter and not to rely solely on this information. Law and guidance is changing regularly in this area.
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