How to apply for Attendance Allowance

Attendance Allowance is a weekly cash payment for people over State Pension age who need help with personal care or supervision. It's not means-tested, not taxable, and doesn't affect your State Pension or any other benefit. Around 1.1 million pensioners who likely qualify don't claim. This guide walks through the process.

If you live in Scotland, apply for Pension Age Disability Payment instead — rates and conditions are aligned with AA.

Before you start

Check you meet the basic conditions:

• You're over State Pension age (66 in 2025-26).
• You have a physical or mental health condition or disability that has lasted (or is likely to last) at least 6 months.
• You need help with personal care, supervision, or watching over — even if no one provides it.
• You live in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland. (Scotland claims go via PADP.)
• You've been in the UK for at least 2 of the last 3 years (with exceptions).

Two rates — lower and higher

• Lower rate — £73.90/week: you need frequent help or supervision either during the day or at night.
• Higher rate — £110.40/week: you need help during the day and at night, or you're terminally ill (Special Rules fast-track).

“Help during the day” means either frequent attention throughout the day with bodily functions, or continual supervision to avoid substantial danger to yourself or others. “Help at night” means prolonged or repeated attention (more than 20 minutes total, or at least twice a night) or supervision over long periods.

Step 1 — Start the claim date

Call the Attendance Allowance helpline on 0800 731 0122 and ask for the claim form. Your claim starts on this date — any award is backdated here.

The form is also available to download from gov.uk, but calling is preferable because it locks in your claim date immediately. You have 6 weeks to return the completed form after DWP sends it.

You can also ask for a Braille or large-print version, or request a form with a “text-relay” number if you need support completing it.

Step 2 — Complete the AA1 form

The AA1 form is long (about 30 pages) but conceptually simple. It asks about:

• Your health conditions and medications.
• The help or supervision you need with daily activities: getting in/out of bed, washing, dressing, using the toilet, eating, taking medication, moving around indoors, communicating.
• Whether you've had any falls or injuries.
• Whether you need someone to be around day or night.
• Details of your GP, hospital consultants, and any medical services involved.

How to fill it in

• Describe what help you need, even if you don't receive it. The test is not what care you get but what care you reasonably need.
• Describe a typical bad day. If your condition fluctuates, describe the worst periods and how often they happen.
• Be specific and give examples. Instead of “I can't walk well”, write “I can't walk from the bathroom to the bedroom (about 5 metres) without stopping because of breathlessness and pain”.
• Cover both day and night separately. The higher rate depends on needing help at night as well as during the day.
• Include aids and adaptations. Using a stool in the shower still counts as needing help with washing. Using a grab rail counts as needing help to stand.
• Mental health conditions matter. If depression, anxiety, dementia, or another mental-health problem means you forget to eat, take medication, or supervise yourself safely, record that — don't only focus on physical issues.
• Describe risk. “If I don't have prompting I miss my evening insulin” or “if I get up without help I fall” makes the case clearly.

Evidence to include

• A GP letter summarising your conditions and the help you need.
• Hospital discharge summaries and consultant letters.
• Your medication list.
• Care plans or occupational therapy reports.
• A short letter from a family member, neighbour, or carer describing what they help with.

Step 3 — The decision

Most AA decisions are made on paper. DWP does not routinely send people for a medical examination. You receive a decision letter in 6-12 weeks.

If awarded, payments start from your claim date and are paid 4-weekly in arrears into your bank account.

Step 4 — What AA unlocks

Receiving AA at either rate triggers:

• Pension Credit Severe Disability Addition (about £81.50/week extra) — if you live alone, nobody receives Carer's Allowance for looking after you, and you're on Pension Credit.
• Carer's Allowance for someone caring for you (£83.30/week) if they care 35+ hours a week and earn less than £196/week.
• Council Tax Disability Reduction if your home has features for a disabled resident (extra bathroom, extra space used for your needs).
• Blue Badge (via your council, high priority).
• Community services and discounts — Disabled Persons Railcard, bus concessions, NHS Low Income Scheme if relevant.

If refused

Request a Mandatory Reconsideration within 1 month of the decision. AA has a good overturn rate when claimants present new evidence or clarify points the decision-maker misunderstood. If the MR doesn't fix it, appeal to an independent tribunal.

See our guide to challenging benefits decisions for the full process.

Already claiming PIP at State Pension age?

You keep your PIP when you reach State Pension age — you don't move to AA, and you can't start a new PIP claim after SPA. Existing PIP continues indefinitely (or until a scheduled review). If your PIP is ending because of a review decision after reaching SPA, a new AA claim becomes necessary.

Once AA is in payment, run our 3-minute triage — the tool will surface any other benefits you may now qualify for, particularly Pension Credit and Council Tax Reduction.