Attendance Allowance Rates

There are two rates of Attendance Allowance for State Pension Age - higher and lower.

Current Attendance Allowance Rates (2026)

Attendance Allowance is paid weekly at one of two rates:

Rate	Weekly Amount	Who Qualifies
Lower rate	£72.65 per week	Help needed during the day or during the night
Higher rate	£108.55	Help needed during the day and during the night, or if you are terminally ill

Attendance Allowance is paid at two different weekly rates. The rate you receive depends entirely on how much help you need because of a disability or health condition. Attendance Allowance is for people whose disability affects their daily life, and covers both physical or mental disabilities, including mental disability. The benefit is awarded based on how your medical condition or illness impacts your daily living and care needs, not just your diagnosis.

Attendance Allowance provides extra money to help with the additional costs of disability or illness, and you can spend it in any way that helps you stay independent. If you have a carer, they may be able to claim Carer's Allowance, which is a separate benefit for people who look after someone receiving Attendance Allowance or another qualifying disability benefit.

It is not means-tested, so your income and savings do not affect the amount you receive. Attendance Allowance is normally ignored as income when calculating income-related benefits and credits, and receiving it can lead to an increase in other benefits such as Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, or Council Tax Reduction. It may also support your application for a Blue Badge.

Attendance Allowance is paid every four weeks, paid directly into your bank, building society, or building society account (also known as a society account), giving you flexibility in how you manage your finances. Payments are paid directly to the recipient. Individuals already receiving PIP, Disability Living Allowance, or Adult Disability Payment cannot claim Attendance Allowance. To qualify, you must have needed help for at least six months prior to claiming, unless you are terminally ill.

Eligibility Criteria

To qualify for Attendance Allowance, you must meet certain criteria set by the government. The first requirement is age: you need to have reached State Pension age to claim Attendance Allowance. If you are below this age, you may be eligible for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) instead.

Attendance Allowance is designed for people with a disability or health condition that means they need help with personal care, such as washing, dressing, eating, or using the toilet. This help can be needed during the day, at night, or both. You may also qualify if you need constant supervision to keep you safe, for example, due to a mental illness or memory problems.

The benefit is available whether your disability is physical, mental, or a combination of both. You do not need to have a specific diagnosis—what matters is how your condition affects your daily life and the level of care or supervision you reasonably need. For example, if you need help with personal care tasks or someone to watch over you to prevent accidents, you may qualify for Attendance Allowance.

Attendance Allowance is not means tested, so your income and savings do not affect your claim. You can spend Attendance Allowance however you choose, whether that’s on help at home, mobility aids, or anything else that helps you stay independent. If you are awarded Attendance Allowance, you will receive a decision letter confirming your rate, when payments will start, and how often you will be paid.

If you are terminally ill and expected to live for 12 months or less, you can claim Attendance Allowance under special rules. This means your claim will be fast-tracked, and you will automatically receive the higher rate. A medical professional, such as your doctor or nurse, will need to complete a form (SR1) to support your claim.

In Scotland, Attendance Allowance has been replaced by Pension Age Disability Payment. If you already receive Attendance Allowance and live in Scotland, you do not need to reapply—your claim will be transferred automatically to the new benefit.

To claim Attendance Allowance, you can download an application form online, contact the Disability and Carers Service, or call the Attendance Allowance helpline to request a claim form or get help with your application. It’s important to provide detailed information about how your condition affects you, as the decision maker will use this to decide if you qualify and at which rate. You can ask a medical professional to help you complete the claim form if needed.

If you live in Northern Ireland, you must meet certain residency or presence conditions to qualify. Different rules may apply if you or your family are from an EEA country or Switzerland. If you have a carer, they may be able to claim Carer’s Allowance or Carer’s Credit for looking after you, but this could affect your Attendance Allowance payments.

It’s important to let the Disability and Carers Service or the office dealing with your claim know if your circumstances change—for example, if you go into hospital, move to a care home, or travel abroad. Changes in your situation can affect your entitlement, so always report them promptly. You can also use a benefits calculator to check if receiving Attendance Allowance increases your entitlement to other benefits, such as Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction.

Receiving Attendance Allowance can sometimes increase the amount you get from other means tested benefits or tax credits. In many cases, Attendance Allowance is ignored as income when calculating these benefits, and you may qualify for extra amounts for severe disability. If you are already receiving Attendance Allowance, your payments may increase automatically each April when new rates are introduced, but you must still report any changes in your circumstances.

In summary, to get Attendance Allowance, you must be over State Pension age, have a disability or health condition that means you need help with personal care or supervision, and meet the care needs criteria. You can claim Attendance Allowance even if no one is currently providing the care you need, and you are free to spend Attendance Allowance in any way that helps you manage your daily life. For further information or help with your claim, contact the Disability and Carers Service or the Attendance Allowance helpline.

How Much Attendance Allowance: Current Rates (2025–2026)

Attendance Allowance is paid at one of two weekly rates:

Lower rate: £72.65 per week You may qualify for the lower rate if you need help or supervision during the day or during the night.

Higher rate: £108.55 per week You may qualify for the higher rate if you need help or supervision during both the day and the night, or if you are terminally ill.

Attendance Allowance is calculated as a weekly rate and is usually paid every four weeks directly into your bank account. In some circumstances, you may be able to arrange to have it paid weekly in advance.

That means the approximate four-weekly payments are:

• Lower rate: £290.60
• Higher rate: £434.20

Rates are set by the Government and usually increase each April.

How the Rate Is Decided When You Claim Attendance Allowance

The rate of Attendance Allowance you receive is not determined by your medical diagnosis. It does not matter whether you have dementia, arthritis, Parkinson’s disease, heart failure or any other condition. What matters is how that condition affects you in daily life and the level of help you reasonably need because of it. The decision is based on how your disability affects your ability to manage daily living and personal care, rather than the diagnosis itself.

This is one of the most misunderstood aspects of Attendance Allowance. Many people assume that certain diagnoses automatically qualify for the higher rate. That is not how the system works. The decision is based on the practical impact of your condition rather than its name.

When a decision maker at the Department for Work and Pensions assesses your claim, they look carefully at your care needs. They consider whether you require help during the day, whether you require help during the night, and how often that help is needed. They also look at whether you need supervision to remain safe, even if you are not actively receiving hands-on care.

The frequency of support matters. Occasional assistance is viewed differently from repeated or continual help. For example, someone who needs prompting to take medication once a day may be assessed differently from someone who requires help several times throughout the day with washing, dressing, eating and using the toilet.

Night-time needs are particularly important when determining whether the higher rate applies. The decision maker will consider whether you need repeated help during the night, whether someone needs to remain awake to supervise you, or whether you are at risk of falls, confusion, wandering or other safety concerns after dark.

Supervision is just as important as physical assistance. Some people may be physically able to complete tasks but are unsafe without oversight due to memory problems, confusion, poor balance or risk of injury. The law recognises that needing someone to watch over you to prevent harm can qualify just as much as needing hands-on care.

Crucially, you do not need to have someone currently providing this care. Attendance Allowance is based on the help you need, not the help you actually receive. Many older adults cope alone, often struggling through daily tasks without support. The decision maker considers what assistance would reasonably be required if someone were available to help.

In other words, the test is not whether you are managing. It is whether you are managing safely, reliably and without significant difficulty. If you would reasonably require help to avoid risk, pain, exhaustion or distress, that need should be reflected in your claim.

Understanding this distinction is often the key to ensuring the correct rate is awarded.

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