Attendance Allowance UK: Eligibility, Rates and How to Claim

Attendance Allowance pays £76.70 or £114.60 a week to people who have reached State Pension age and need help caring for themselves, or supervision for their own or someone else's safety, because of a disability or health condition, and it is not means-tested.

Who can get Attendance Allowance

To get Attendance Allowance you must have reached State Pension age and have a physical disability, a mental disability, or a health condition that is severe enough for you to need help caring for yourself, or for someone to supervise you for your own or someone else's safety. You must have needed that help for at least 6 months, unless you are nearing the end of life, in which case you can claim more quickly and are paid the higher rate straight away (gov.uk: Attendance Allowance eligibility).

There is also a residence test: you must usually be in Great Britain when you claim, have been in Great Britain for at least 2 of the last 3 years (unless you are a refugee or have humanitarian protection), be habitually resident in the UK, Ireland, the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands, and not be subject to immigration control unless you are a sponsored immigrant (gov.uk: Attendance Allowance eligibility).

You cannot usually get Attendance Allowance if you live in a care home and your care is paid for by your local authority. You can still claim it if you pay all of your own care home costs yourself.

Attendance Allowance does not cover mobility needs, only personal care and supervision. If you are under State Pension age with a similar level of need, the equivalent benefit is Personal Independence Payment, which does have a mobility component, not Attendance Allowance.

The two weekly rates

Source: gov.uk: what you'll get. If you also get Constant Attendance Allowance, your Attendance Allowance is reduced by the amount of Constant Attendance Allowance you get.

How to claim, and what it can unlock

You can apply for Attendance Allowance online or by post (gov.uk: how to claim). You do not need someone actually caring for you at the point you claim, only a need for that help or supervision.

Getting Attendance Allowance can open the door to other help: extra Pension Credit, extra Housing Benefit, or extra Council Tax Reduction, because your local authority or the Department for Work and Pensions can take the award into account when working out those other payments (gov.uk: Attendance Allowance).

If you disagree with a decision

If your claim is refused, or you think you should be on the higher rate, you can ask for a mandatory reconsideration and, if that does not change the outcome, appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support). Attendance Allowance uses exactly the same time limits and process as PIP and Carer's Allowance decisions. See how to challenge a benefit decision for the full mandatory reconsideration and appeal timeline, including the different Scotland and Northern Ireland routes.

Attendance Allowance in Scotland: Pension Age Disability Payment

If you live in Scotland, you apply for Pension Age Disability Payment (PADP) instead of Attendance Allowance (gov.uk: Attendance Allowance). PADP is administered by Social Security Scotland rather than the Department for Work and Pensions, but it pays the identical two weekly rates, £76.70 and £114.60, and uses the same core test: care needs from a disability or long-term health condition, and having reached State Pension age. It is also not means-tested, and if you are terminally ill you automatically get the higher rate (mygov.scot: Pension Age Disability Payment).

PADP opened nationwide across Scotland from 22 April 2025, after a phased regional rollout starting 21 October 2024. Social Security Scotland began transferring the awards of around 169,000 people already getting Attendance Allowance in Scotland onto the new benefit, and said in an October 2025 update that the case transfer process, which started in February 2025, would take until the end of 2025 to complete (gov.scot: Pension Age Disability Payment opens for applications nationwide; Social Security Scotland: Pension Age Disability Payment is replacing Attendance Allowance in Scotland). If you still get Attendance Allowance from DWP in Scotland and have not had a transfer letter, Social Security Scotland asks you to contact it.

If you move to Scotland, your Attendance Allowance stops 13 weeks after the move and you need to claim PADP instead. If you have a PADP award and move to England or Wales, you need to apply for Attendance Allowance and tell Social Security Scotland about the move.

Attendance Allowance in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland runs its own Attendance Allowance, administered by the Department for Communities' Disability and Carers Service, rather than following Social Security Scotland's replacement benefit. The rate structure is the same as in England and Wales, £76.70 lower rate and £114.60 higher rate, but you claim through nidirect rather than GOV.UK: online, or by asking the Disability and Carers Service for a claim pack by phone or at dcs.forms@dfcni.gov.uk, or collecting a form from a Jobs and Benefits office (nidirect: Attendance Allowance).

Getting help

Age UK, Age Scotland and Citizens Advice can all help you work out whether you are likely to be eligible and can help with the claim form itself, free of charge. None of them, and this page, can tell you in advance whether your own claim will succeed; that depends on the evidence in your individual case. For the full range of disability, carer and other benefits covered on this site, see the UK benefits hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much is Attendance Allowance a week?

There are two rates: £76.70 a week for the lower rate, and £114.60 a week for the higher rate. Which rate you get depends on how much day and night help or supervision you need. Attendance Allowance is not means-tested, so your income and savings do not change these amounts.

Do I have to wait 6 months before I can claim Attendance Allowance?

Yes, in the ordinary case you must have needed help or supervision for at least 6 months before you claim. This waiting period is waived if you are nearing the end of life, and in that situation you also get the higher rate straight away.

Can I get Attendance Allowance and PIP at the same time?

No. Attendance Allowance cannot be paid alongside Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance, Adult Disability Payment, Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance or Armed Forces Independence Payment. If you are under State Pension age, PIP rather than Attendance Allowance is the benefit to look at.

What benefit replaces Attendance Allowance in Scotland?

Pension Age Disability Payment, administered by Social Security Scotland. It pays the same two weekly rates as Attendance Allowance and uses the same core eligibility test, but existing Attendance Allowance claimants in Scotland were transferred onto it, a process Social Security Scotland said would run until the end of 2025, rather than needing to reclaim from scratch.

Can I still get Attendance Allowance if I live in a care home?

Not usually if your care home fees are paid by your local authority. You can still claim Attendance Allowance if you are paying for all of your own care home costs yourself.

What can I do if my Attendance Allowance claim is refused?

Ask for a mandatory reconsideration within one month of the decision, and if the outcome does not change, you can appeal to the First-tier Tribunal (Social Security and Child Support) within one month of the mandatory reconsideration decision. This is the same process used for PIP and Carer's Allowance decisions.