3. Attendance allowance

• Who can get attendance allowance
• Disability test
• Amount of benefit

Attendance allowance (AA) is a benefit for people who have reached pension age and who have care needs because of a disability. AA is not means tested and you do not have to have paid any national insurance contributions to get it.

The DWP is responsible for the administration of AA.

Note: attendance allowance is being devolved to Scotland. The Scottish benefit will be called pension age disability payment (see here) and will be administered by Social Security Scotland. This starts from October 2024.

Who can get attendance allowance

• Disability test

You qualify for AA if you:1s64 SSCBA 1992; reg 2 SS(AA) Regs

•have reached pension age when you first claim. People aged between 16 and pension age may be able to claim adult disability payment (see here) and children aged under 16 may be able to claim child disability payment (see here); and
•satisfy certain UK residence and presence conditions and are not a ‘person subject to immigration control’. See CPAG’s Welfare Benefits Handbook for details; and
•satisfy the disability test (see here); and
•have satisfied the disability test for the last six months (unless you are terminally ill).

 

1     s64 SSCBA 1992; reg 2 SS(AA) Regs »

Disability test

You get either a lower or a higher rate of AA. The disability conditions for the lower rate are the same as for the middle rate care component of child disability payment (CDP) (see here). The conditions for the higher rate are the same as for the highest rate care component of CDP (see here). Alternatively, you qualify for the higher rate if you are ‘terminally ill’ which, for AA, means that you have a progressive disease and can reasonably be expected to die within 12 months as a result.

Amount of benefit

Weekly rate
Lower rate	£72.65
Higher rate	£108.55