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Attendance Allowance: The Benefit Most Families Miss
A tax-free weekly payment for people over State Pension age who need help or supervision — with no means test, no effect on your pension, and no need to have spent a penny on care yet.
Attendance Allowance is one of the most under-claimed benefits in the UK. Families often assume they won't qualify — because Mum has savings, or owns her home, or "isn't disabled enough". None of those things matter. If someone over State Pension age needs help with personal care, or someone keeping an eye on them for their safety, they can very likely claim.
It's paid on top of the State Pension, it isn't taxed, and you can spend it however helps most — many of our clients use it towards their home care visits.
The key facts (2026/27)
Lower rate: £76.70 a week — if help is needed during the day or at night.
Higher rate: £114.60 a week — if help is needed day and night, or the person is nearing the end of life.
That's up to almost £6,000 a year — tax-free, not means-tested, and paid regardless of savings, income or home ownership.
Who Can Claim
You can claim for yourself or on behalf of someone else. It applies to a person who:
What Puts Families Off — Wrongly
“She has savings”
Irrelevant. There is no means test -savings, income and owning a home make no difference at all.
“It'll affect his pension”
It won't reduce anything. In fact it can increase other entitlements, such as Pension Credit or a Council Tax reduction.
“Nobody helps her yet”
It's based on the help someone <em>needs</em>, not the help they currently get. Struggling alone counts.
“He can still walk fine”
Attendance Allowance isn't about mobility — it's about personal care and safety. Memory problems, falls risk and night-time needs all count.
How to Claim, Step by Step
Gather the basics
National Insurance number, address, GP surgery details, and notes on the health conditions and the help needed. That's all the paperwork there is.
Apply online or by post
The quickest route is the official online form at GOV.UK. Prefer paper? Call the Attendance Allowance helpline on 0800 731 0122 (Mon–Fri, 8am–6pm) and they'll send a form — post it back to Freepost DWP Attendance Allowance, no stamp needed. Claiming by phone-requested form also backdates your claim to the day you called.
Describe the worst days, honestly
This is where good claims go wrong. Don't be brave on the form — describe the difficult days, how often help is needed, and everything that counts: prompting and reminding, supervision, help at night, anxiety about falls. If it happens most weeks, it belongs on the form.
Wait for the decision — and don't take no for an answer
You'll hear within about three weeks when to expect a decision. If the claim is refused and you believe that's wrong, ask for a mandatory reconsideration — many refusals are overturned, especially with fuller detail about bad days.
Want a hand with the form? Local Age UK and Citizens Advice offices help with Attendance Allowance claims free of charge, and they're very good at it. And if you'd just like to talk through whether it's worth applying, give us a call — we see what works every week.
Figures shown are the 2026/27 rates, checked against GOV.UK in July 2026. Rates change each April — always confirm the current amounts on GOV.UK. This guide is general information, not financial advice; for advice about paying for care, consider an independent financial adviser accredited by SOLLA (the Society of Later Life Advisers).
Thinking about a little help at home?
Attendance Allowance covers a meaningful part of home care for many of our clients. We'll happily help you work out what's possible.