Attendance Allowance
If you have reached State Pension age and need help with personal care — or need someone to supervise you to keep you safe — this benefit is easier to obtain than PIP and most claims are decided on the form alone.
On this page
What Attendance Allowance is
Attendance Allowance is a tax-free, non-means-tested benefit for people who have reached State Pension age and need help with personal care or supervision because of a disability, illness or health condition. It is paid at two rates depending on the level of need.
| Rate | Weekly | Monthly | Annual | Conditions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower | £76.70 | £332.50 | £3,988.40 | You need frequent help or constant supervision during the day, or you cannot safely manage personal care without help or supervision at night. |
| Higher | £114.60 | £496.60 | £5,959.20 | You need help or supervision both day and night, or a medical professional has said you are terminally ill. |
Payments are usually made every four weeks, directly into a bank account. The award is normally for an indefinite period if the condition is unlikely to improve, and for a fixed period where improvement is expected.
The qualifying conditions
Three conditions must be met. The third is the one that decides nearly every case.
| Condition | Detail |
|---|---|
| 1. Age | You must have reached State Pension age when you claim. If you are below that age, PIP is the relevant benefit — and PIP has a higher rate of refusal. If you first claimed PIP before reaching pension age you usually continue on PIP. |
| 2. Disability or health condition | You must have a physical or mental condition. There is no list of qualifying conditions. What matters is the effect, not the label. |
| 3. Day and/or night attention or supervision needs | The core test. You must need frequent attention with bodily functions during the day, or continuous supervision to avoid substantial danger, or the same at night. |
The three-month and six-month conditions. Unlike PIP's qualifying period, Attendance Allowance has no waiting period before the benefit starts but does require that you have needed the care for at least six months. However, where you are terminally ill, this is waived entirely and the claim is fast-tracked under Special Rules.
What "frequent" and "continuous" mean
These two words carry most of the weight in Attendance Allowance law, and understanding how they are interpreted is the difference between a refusal and an award.
- Attention means something done for you — helping you wash, dress, eat, take medication, or go to the toilet. It is help with bodily functions.
- Frequent means a number of times a day, judged on the individual. In the case law it has been interpreted as reasonably often, and the need does not have to be at set intervals.
- Supervision means someone watching over you to prevent a real and substantial risk of danger. You do not need to be actively helped — the need to be kept safe is enough.
- Continuous supervision means you cannot be left alone safely. It is not a test of how often something happens, but of whether you can safely be on your own.
Examples that succeed. A person with dementia who needs prompting to eat and take medication, and who cannot safely be left alone in the kitchen. A person with severe arthritis who needs help to dress and bathe each morning. A person who must be woken and helped to the toilet twice a night. A person with angina who needs help managing their medication.
Examples that fail. A person who needs help with housework, shopping or gardening only — these are domestic tasks, not bodily functions, and there is no award for them. A person who finds a task difficult but can do it without help and without risk. A person who has help available but does not actually need it.
You do not need to be receiving any care. Attendance Allowance is based on need, not on whether the help is actually being provided. Many awards go to people who live alone and manage with difficulty. There is also no requirement to spend the money on care — it is your money to use as you choose.
Attendance Allowance compared with PIP
| Attendance Allowance | PIP | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | State Pension age and over | 16 to State Pension age |
| Care / daily living element | Yes — two rates | Yes — daily living component, two rates |
| Mobility element | None | Yes — mobility component, two rates |
| Assessment | Normally paper-based on the form. Medical examinations are rare. | Usually an assessment — telephone, paper or face-to-face. |
| Award rate | Substantially higher proportion of claims succeed | Around half of claims are refused at first decision |
| Weekly value | £76.70 / £114.60 | £30.30–£114.60, up to £194.60 combined |
If you are approaching State Pension age. You cannot claim Attendance Allowance until you reach State Pension age, and you cannot make a new PIP claim once you have reached it. Getting the timing right matters, particularly if you have a condition that will worsen. Take advice if you are within a year of State Pension age and have care needs.
How to apply
- Complete the form carefully — it is the whole caseThere is usually no assessment after the form, so the form is your evidence. Describe what happens on your worst days, day and night, in plain detail. Do not assume the decision maker will infer anything.
- Deal with day and night separatelyAward the lower rate if you qualify for either, the higher rate if you qualify for both. Set out your day needs in one section and your night needs in another, and be specific about how often and at what times.
- Send supporting evidence if you have itIt is not required, but a supporting letter from a GP, district nurse, care worker or social worker helps. So does a care plan, or occupational therapy assessment.
- Claim date mattersAttendance Allowance is not normally backdated — it runs from the date of your claim. Submit as soon as you are ready rather than waiting for more evidence.
- Challenge a refusalThere is a one-month window for mandatory reconsideration, then appeal to the First-tier Tribunal. Attendance Allowance appeals are frequently successful, particularly where the original decision missed night needs or treated supervision as unnecessary.
What Attendance Allowance unlocks
- A council tax disregard — you may be disregarded for council tax purposes in some circumstances, which can reduce the bill.
- Pension Credit — Attendance Allowance is ignored as income and can attract the severe disability addition where no one receives Carer's Allowance for you.
- Carer's Allowance for the person caring for you, or underlying entitlement that unlocks the carer element in UC or the carer's addition in Pension Credit.
- Blue Badge and bus pass — the higher rate can support automatic entitlement to a disabled person's bus pass in many areas; a blue badge may require meeting the mobility criteria separately.
- Help with NHS costs and, in some circumstances, Council Tax Reduction and the Warm Home Discount.
Helping a parent or relative apply?
Attendance Allowance claims are decided on the form. Getting the detail right is what matters, and a well-completed form is often enough on its own.
Book a consultation — £50 Are you entitled to Carer's Allowance?