Attendance Allowance

What is Attendance Allowance? 

If you've reached State Pension age, currently 66 years old, have an illness or disability, and you also need help with your personal care or safety, you may be able to claim Attendance Allowance.

This benefit is for you, not for a carer, and you don't need to have someone supporting or caring for you to qualify. If you do have a carer, they may be able to claim Carer's Allowance or National Insurance contribution credits.

Attendance Allowance is based on the help you need, not on the help you currently get. It doesn't matter whether you live alone or with other people, or if you get a lot of help or none.

The Attendance Allowance claim form is quite long, and can be difficult to fill in because it deals with personal care issues. But it's worth taking the time to do it, because getting Attendance Allowance can increase your weekly income.

If you need help filling out the form, you can contact our free confidential helpline to be put in touch with your Parkinson's local adviser.

Do I qualify for Attendance Allowance? 

You're eligible for Attendance Allowance if:

• you are State Pension age
• you have had care or supervision needs for the last 6 months (the 'qualifying period')
• you have been living in the UK for 2 of the last 3 years and your immigration status doesn't prevent you claiming
• you are 'habitually resident' in the UK, and
• you are terminally ill, or
• you satisfy one of the disability tests

What are the disability tests?

To get Attendance Allowance, you must have a severe physical or mental disability (or both) that means you need:

• care from another person several times throughout the day to help with your 'bodily functions'. This can include help getting in and out of bed, getting dressed and undressed, washing and other personal hygiene needs, going to the toilet, taking medication, eating, cutting up food, drinking and communicating with other people, or
• continual supervision (being checked on or watched regularly – but not non-stop) throughout the day to make sure you're safe and/or not a danger to yourself or others, or
• care from another person at least twice each night, or for 20 minutes or more, to help you with your 'bodily functions' (as described above), or
• another person to be awake and watch over you to make sure that you're safe or not a danger to others, at least 3 times each night, or for 20 minutes or more each night.

How much will I get from Attendance Allowance?

Attendance Allowance is paid at 1 of 2 weekly rates, depending on the amount of help you need:

• The lower rate is £68.10 and applies if you need the above care or supervision throughout the day or the night.
• The higher rate is £101.75 and applies if you need care or supervision throughout the day and the night.

'Special rules' claims

If you're terminally ill and unlikely to live more than 12 months, you will be able to get the higher rate under 'special rules'.

In this case, your doctor, consultant or specialist nurse will need to confirm that you have a terminal illness (they can do this using a SR1 form, which they should keep at the surgery).

There is no 6-month 'qualifying' period for terminal illness claims. Under the rules, someone else can apply on your behalf with or without your knowledge. Special rules claims are reviewed every 3 years.

If you're terminally ill and live in Scotland, there is no 12-month rule, an award is based on medical opinion alone.

In 2023

In 2023 only, receipt of Attendance Allowance will trigger a one-off automatic payment of £150 that will be paid by 4 July 2023.

How do I claim Attendance Allowance? 

You'll need to download the Attendance Allowance claim form AA1.

If you live in England, Scotland or Wales, you can also request the form by calling the Attendance Allowance helpline on 0800 731 0122 (textphone 0800 731 0317). 

You can find out about Attendance Allowance eligibility in Northern Ireland or call 0800 587 0912 (textphone 0800 012 1574). 

If the Attendance Allowance helpline sends you the claim form, it will be stamped with the date you asked for it.

If Attendance Allowance is awarded to you, it will be paid from this date, as long as you return the claim form within 6 weeks.

Once you've sent off the claim form, the Department for Work and Pensions (or the Disability and Carers Service in Northern Ireland) may contact your GP, specialist or Parkinson's nurse for further information, or it may send one of its doctors to your home to assess you before they approve your claim.