Pillar Guide - Benefits - 2026/27

Attendance Allowance 2026/27: Rates, Eligibility and How to Claim

Attendance Allowance is a tax-free, non-means-tested benefit for people over State Pension age who need help with personal care or supervision to stay safe because of a disability or long-term illness. This guide explains the two 2026/27 rates, who qualifies, how it can boost other benefits, and how to claim.

Updated 1 July 2026

Key Facts

Lower rate (2026/27): £76.70 a week

Higher rate (2026/27): £114.60 a week

Means-tested / taxable: No and no

Age requirement: Over State Pension age (66)

What Is Attendance Allowance?

Attendance Allowance is a benefit for people over State Pension age who have a physical or mental disability, or a long-term illness, severe enough that they need help caring for themselves, or need supervision to keep themselves safe. It is not paid to help with mobility — unlike Personal Independence Payment (PIP), there is no mobility component — it exists purely to recognise the extra help or supervision a person needs because of their condition. Crucially, it is not means-tested, so your income, savings, and any pension you receive have no bearing on whether you qualify, and it is also not taxable, so every pound awarded is kept in full.

Who Is Eligible

You must be over State Pension age (currently 66)
You must have a physical disability, mental disability, or long-term illness that means you need help with personal care or supervision to stay safe
You normally need to have needed that help for at least 6 months before you can claim
This 6-month qualifying period does not apply if you are claiming under the Special Rules for terminal illness, in which case the claim is fast-tracked
If you are already receiving Disability Living Allowance or PIP from before State Pension age, you generally stay on that benefit rather than claiming Attendance Allowance

The Two Rates

Attendance Allowance is paid at one of two weekly rates, depending on how much help or supervision you need and when you need it.

Lower rate — £76.70 a week (2026/27): paid if you need frequent help or supervision either during the day or during the night, but not both
Higher rate — £114.60 a week (2026/27): paid if you need help or supervision both during the day and during the night, or if you are terminally ill and claiming under the Special Rules for End of Life, in which case the higher rate is awarded automatically

Both rates rose from April 2026 — the lower rate up from £73.90 and the higher rate up from £110.40 in 2025/26 — in line with the annual uprating of DWP benefit and pension rates.

How It Affects Other Benefits

One of the most valuable aspects of Attendance Allowance is that being awarded it can unlock further support elsewhere, rather than reducing anything you already receive. It does not overlap with or reduce your State Pension in any way.

It can add a severe disability premium or extra amount to Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, or Council Tax Support
It counts as a qualifying benefit for Carer's Allowance, meaning someone who cares for you for 35 hours a week or more may be able to claim Carer's Allowance as a result of your award
It has no effect on your State Pension amount, which continues to be paid in full alongside it

Because of this knock-on effect, it is worth checking entitlement to Pension Credit and Carer's Allowance again as soon as an Attendance Allowance award is made, since these can sometimes be missed.

How to Claim

Claims are made using the paper form AA1, which can be requested from the Attendance Allowance helpline, or you can start a claim online and have the form posted to you. The form asks in detail about the help and supervision you need, both during the day and at night, and you will usually want to support it with evidence from your GP, consultant, or other health and social care professionals involved in your care.

Unlike PIP, most claims are decided from the written form and supporting evidence alone, without a face-to-face or telephone assessment, so the quality and completeness of the form matters a great deal. If you are terminally ill, you or someone acting for you can claim under the Special Rules for End of Life, which removes the 6-month qualifying period and fast-tracks the claim to an automatic higher rate award.

Worked Example

Margaret is 78 and has a long-term condition that means she needs help getting washed and dressed each morning, but manages independently overnight. She has needed this help for over a year. She claims Attendance Allowance and is awarded the lower rate of £76.70 a week from 2026/27, because she only needs help during the day.

A few months later, her condition worsens and she also starts needing supervision overnight because of a risk of falls. She reports the change, and her award is reviewed and increased to the higher rate of £114.60 a week, since she now needs help both day and night. Her daughter, who has taken on 35 hours a week of caring for her, is then able to claim Carer's Allowance, using Margaret's Attendance Allowance award as the qualifying benefit.

Common Pitfalls

Assuming savings or income will disqualify you. Attendance Allowance is not means-tested, so many eligible people never claim because they wrongly assume having savings or a private pension rules them out.
Under-describing night-time needs on the form. Because decisions are usually made from the form alone, failing to fully explain supervision or help needed at night can result in only the lower rate being awarded.
Not using the Special Rules when terminally ill. Some people or families are unaware that a terminal diagnosis allows the 6-month qualifying period to be skipped entirely and the claim fast-tracked at the higher rate.
Missing the knock-on benefits. Failing to re-check Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, Council Tax Support, or a carer's eligibility for Carer's Allowance after an award means extra money can go unclaimed.
Delaying the claim form. Because the award can only be backdated to the date the completed form is received, delaying starting the process can cost several weeks of payments.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Attendance Allowance?

Attendance Allowance is a tax-free benefit for people over State Pension age who have a physical or mental disability, or a long-term illness, severe enough that they need help caring for themselves or need supervision to keep safe. It is not means-tested, so your income and savings have no effect on whether you qualify or how much you receive, and it is paid on top of most other benefits and pensions.

How much is Attendance Allowance worth in 2026/27?

From April 2026 there are two weekly rates. The lower rate is £76.70 a week, up from £73.90 in 2025/26, and applies if you need help or supervision either during the day or at night, but not both. The higher rate is £114.60 a week, up from £110.40 in 2025/26, and applies if you need help or supervision both during the day and at night, or if you are claiming under the Special Rules for terminal illness.

Do I have to be over State Pension age to claim?

Yes. Attendance Allowance is specifically for people who have reached State Pension age, currently 66. If you are under State Pension age and need help because of a disability or health condition, you would generally claim Personal Independence Payment (PIP) instead, which has a different structure including a mobility component that Attendance Allowance does not have.

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Is Attendance Allowance means-tested or taxable?

No to both. Attendance Allowance is not means-tested, so it does not matter how much income, savings, or capital you or your partner have. It is also not taxable, so the full amount you are awarded is what you keep, and it does not need to be declared as income on a Self Assessment return.

Will claiming Attendance Allowance reduce my State Pension or other benefits?

No, Attendance Allowance does not reduce or overlap with your State Pension. In fact, being awarded it can increase your entitlement to other means-tested support, because it can add a severe disability premium or extra amount to Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, or Council Tax Support, and it can also enable someone who cares for you for 35 hours a week or more to claim Carer's Allowance, since Attendance Allowance counts as a qualifying benefit for that purpose.

Does Attendance Allowance require a medical assessment like PIP?

Usually not. Unlike PIP, there is no mobility component and, in most cases, no face-to-face assessment. Decisions are normally made by DWP based on the written claim form (form AA1) together with supporting evidence, such as information from your GP, consultant, or other health or social care professionals, so the process relies heavily on how fully and accurately the form is completed.

How long do I need to have needed help before I can claim?

You normally need to have needed help or supervision because of your condition for at least 6 months before you can claim Attendance Allowance. This qualifying period is waived completely if you are claiming under the Special Rules for End of Life, which apply to people who are terminally ill, and such claims are fast-tracked and automatically paid at the higher rate.

Can Attendance Allowance be backdated?

Attendance Allowance can be backdated to the date DWP receives your claim, but not to an earlier date before you applied. Because the claim form is fairly detailed and can take some time to complete and gather evidence for, it is worth requesting the form and starting the process as soon as you think you might be eligible, since your entitlement generally only starts from when the completed claim is actually received.

I already get Disability Living Allowance or PIP — do I need to switch to Attendance Allowance when I reach State Pension age?

No. If you are already receiving Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payment (PIP) before you reach State Pension age, you normally continue to receive that benefit and do not need to move onto Attendance Allowance. Attendance Allowance is only available as a new claim to people who reach State Pension age without an existing DLA or PIP award, since you cannot make a brand new claim for PIP once you are over State Pension age.

How do I claim Attendance Allowance?

You claim using the paper form AA1, which you can request from the Attendance Allowance helpline, or by starting a claim online to have the form sent to you. The form and any supporting evidence are sent to DWP's Attendance Allowance service, not through the separate process used for PIP, so the helpline and claim form are the right first point of contact rather than the PIP assessment providers.

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About the author

Emma Clarke

UK Tax Writer

Emma Clarke has been writing about UK personal tax since 2018, with a particular focus on Self Assessment, PAYE coding and the practical mechanics of how HMRC actually applies the rules to ordinary salaries. Her work concentrates on translating the dense language of HMRC manuals and Finance Act schedules into worked examples that show, pound by pound, how income tax and National Insurance reduce a gross salary to the figure that lands in a UK bank account. Emma covers the full PAYE lifecycle: tax codes (1257L, BR, K codes, emergency codes), the Marriage Allowance, the High Income Child Benefit Charge, salary sacrifice arrangements and their effect on pensionable pay, the Apprenticeship Levy, and the differences between the rUK and Scottish income-tax regimes. She is particularly interested in the edge cases that catch PAYE employees out — the £100,000 personal-allowance taper, the 60% effective marginal rate it creates, and the interaction between student-loan plans and pension contributions. Every figure in Emma's articles is verified against the current HMRC rates pages and worked through a Self Assessment calculation by hand before publication. She writes to CalcHub's editorial standards: primary-source citations, plain English, no promotional language, and clear "this is general information, not financial advice" disclaimers where appropriate.

Personal-finance writer since 2018
UK tax specialism — PAYE, Self Assessment, National Insurance
Writes to CalcHub editorial standards (primary-source citation, annual review)

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Disclaimer: This guide is for general information only and does not constitute personal financial or benefits advice. Always confirm current eligibility and figures with DWP, the Attendance Allowance helpline, or a qualified adviser before making or relying on a claim.