It’s estimated that more than a million pension-age households could be missing out on attendance allowance support, with over £5 billion going unclaimed.
Find out if you or a loved one could be eligible and get extra cash payments with our guide.
What’s on this page?
Attendance allowance is a benefit available to anyone of state pension age who needs extra help with everyday tasks because of a disability or illness. Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, explains: “Attendance allowance is a non-means-tested benefit, paid out weekly for those who qualify. It’s based on need, not how much savings you have and isn’t taxable.
“Attendance allowance is there to fund some of the extra costs that come along if you are an older person living with disability.
“For example, if you are successful in your claim, you could use attendance allowance to help with the extra costs of heating that many disabled people face or meet the cost of a taxi to take you to a hospital appointment, or to visit a friend.”
You don’t need a carer to qualify. You can spend the money on equipment or services to help you stay independent – or, of course, a carer if that’s something you feel would help. In February 2025 attendance allowance in Scotland was replaced with the pension age disability payment, which has a different application process but is paid at the same rates.
You can apply for attendance allowance if you have a condition that affects your ability to care for yourself. This includes getting dressed, eating and drinking or using the toilet. Your condition doesn’t have to be physical or visible – it could be a mental health condition, learning or sensory difficulty, or needing supervision to keep yourself safe, such as suffering from memory loss.
To qualify, you must have needed care or supervision for at least six months before you can make a claim and, importantly, if you’re still undergoing tests, you don’t need a diagnosis to apply for AA.
If you have a life-limiting illness and might die within 12 months, you’ll be able to apply for attendance allowance instantly (removing the need to wait six months).
There are two rates available. The lower rate of £73.90 applies if you need help either during the day or night, while the higher rate of £110.40 applies if you need help during both the day and the night. If your illness means you have no more than 12 months to live, you’ll automatically qualify for the higher rate.
However, the financial support doesn’t just stop at receiving attendance allowance. Qualifying for the benefit can also mean you’re entitled to more support or an increase in the help you’re already getting, including council tax reduction, pension credit and housing benefit.
You’ll need to fill in an application form, which you can get by calling the AA helpline on 0800 731 0122 (textphone 0800 731 0317).
Asking for a form by phone means your claim starts from that point, so any money you’re entitled to will be backdated (as long as it’s sent to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) within six weeks).
You can also apply online, or download an application form, but your claim won’t start until the DWP receives the document. A friend or family member can help you with the form, as long as you can sign it.
If you’re helping someone complete a form and they can’t sign it themselves, you’ll need the legal right to apply for them. You can do this through power of attorney, becoming their appointee or deputy. Note that you can’t use the online application process if you’re doing this.
When you’ve submitted your form, the DWP should let you know within three weeks roughly how long you’ll need to wait for a decision.
If you might only have 12 months to live, your application is fast-tracked, but you’ll need to ask your doctor or medical professional to fill in an SR1 form.
If you don’t agree with the DWP’s decision, you can challenge it by asking for a mandatory reconsideration. You can find a step-by-step guide to this on the government website.
You can apply for pension age disability payment online or by phone and paper. The application is in two parts. You can do both of them online. Or you can call the helpline on 0800 182 2222, where they will take some details for part 1 of your application. They will then send you a part 2 application form.
There is also a faster process if you’re applying for someone who is terminally ill.
You can apply for attendance allowance online or by post in Northern Ireland.
Or you can email dcs.forms@dfcni.gov.uk and ask to be sent a claim pack by providing your name, address and the type of claim form you need (attendance allowance).
Or you can call the Disability and Carers Service on 0800 587 0912 and ask to be sent a claim pack.
The date of your email or phone request will be treated as your date of claim from which Attendance Allowance can be paid, as long as you send your form back within six weeks of that date.
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The attendance allowance form is long – 30 pages in all. But it’s not necessarily complicated, and there’s lots of help available if you’ve got any questions.
The government runs an attendance allowance helpline, or you can speak to organisations like Citizens Advice, Age UK or Benefits Answers for dedicated help with the form.
Attendance allowance is based on needs, so if those change (or you have to stay in hospital or in a care home for more than 28 consecutive days) you must tell the DWP, and your payments will start again when you return home.
If you forget to tell the DWP about any changes, it can affect your benefits or you may need to pay some back, so it’s important to always ask one of the dedicated information centres (listed above) if you’re unsure.
Attendance allowance isn’t the only benefit older people are missing out on. According to Policy in Practice (a social policy software and analytics company), £1.6 billion of pension credit and £1.1 billion of housing benefit also go unclaimed each year, as well as the potentially billions in attendance allowance mentioned previously.
Many people are also simply not aware of the help they may be entitled to – something the government says it is working on.
A DWP spokesperson told Saga Money: “We are constantly working to improve the way we communicate information and are committed to encouraging pensioners to claim attendance allowance where they may be entitled.”For more information and help with attendance allowance, visit Age UK, Benefit Answers, or Citizens Advice.
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