Check if you're entitled to Attendance Allowance
You need to be State Pension age to claim Attendance Allowance. You can check what your State Pension age is at GOV.UK.
You also need to have a disability or illness that makes it hard for you to look after yourself.
You could get £61.85 or £92.40 a week to spend however you like. The amount you get will depend on how much help you need. It could help you stay independent in your own home for longer.
Who can claim
You should apply for Attendance Allowance if you have a disability or illness and need help or supervision throughout the day or at times during the night (even if you don’t currently get that help):
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with your personal care - for example getting dressed, eating or drinking, getting in and out of bed, bathing or showering and going to the toilet
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to stay safe
You should also apply if you have difficulties with personal tasks, for example if they take you a long time, you experience pain or you need physical help, like a chair to lean on. It might help if you compare how you do the personal tasks now to how you used to do them.
Attendance Allowance isn’t just for people with a physical disability or illness. You should also claim if you need help or supervision throughout the day or night and have:
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a mental health condition
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learning difficulties
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a sensory condition - for example if you’re deaf or blind
Special rules apply if you’re terminally ill. Read more about applying for Attendance Allowance if you’re terminally ill.
The 6-month rule
You must have had care or supervision needs because of your disability or illness for at least 6 months before you can get Attendance Allowance.
You don't need to have had a diagnosis for your condition to apply for Attendance Allowance. For example, you might still be having tests or appointments to find out what's wrong with you. As long as you've needed help or supervision, or you've had difficulties, for 6 months because of your condition you can claim Attendance Allowance.
You can save time with your claim by applying before the end of the 6 months but you won't get any money until then.
If you’re in hospital
You can apply for Attendance Allowance if you’re currently in hospital but you won’t get any money until you leave.
If you’re living in a care home
You can’t usually claim Attendance Allowance if you live in a care home and your care is paid for by your local authority. You can still claim Attendance Allowance if you pay for all your care home costs yourself.
If you're living in a hospice
You can get Attendance Allowance if you’re terminally ill and living in a hospice.
Read more about how to claim Attendance Allowance if you have a terminal illness.
If you already get other disability benefits
You won't be able to get Attendance Allowance if you already get Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or if you get Disability Living Allowance (DLA) to pay for your care (the ‘care component’ of DLA).
If you apply for Attendance Allowance while getting DLA, the DWP will usually reassess your DLA award instead. If you were born on or after 9 April 1948, you’ll be moved from DLA to PIP, and you might get less money. Contact your nearest Citizens Advice if you’re not sure about what you can claim.
You can renew your PIP or DLA when the existing award ends as long as you still meet the eligibility criteria.
If your renewal is unsuccessful you can apply for Attendance Allowance instead.
If you've lived outside of the UK
You’ll need to give evidence to show the UK, Ireland, Channel Islands or Isle of Man is your main home and you plan to stay. This is known as being ‘habitually resident’.
Check how to prove you’re habitually resident.
You must also have lived in Great Britain for 2 out of the last 3 years. Great Britain is England, Wales and Scotland. It doesn’t include Northern Ireland.
If you're terminally ill you'll need to show you're habitually resident, but you don't need to have lived in Great Britain for 2 out of the last 3 years.
Your time spent in Great Britain doesn't need to have been in one go. For example, you could have lived in England for 1 year, the USA for 1 year and Wales for 1 year.
You might still be eligible if you haven’t lived in Great Britain for enough time, but you've lived in the EU, EEA or Switzerland. The EEA includes EU countries and Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
If you've lived in the EU, EEA or Switzerland
You might be eligible if you’ve worked or claimed benefits for 2 out of the last 3 years in the EU, EEA, or Switzerland.
You might also be eligible if you’ve got a ‘genuine and sufficient link’ to the UK.
You might have a ‘genuine and sufficient link’ if, for example:
- you’ve lived in the UK for nearly 2 years
- you work or are self-employed in the UK
- you have a family member who works or is self-employed in the UK
- you have close family in the UK who you rely on for care and support
- you get certain benefits in the UK
The rules in this area are complicated. Talk to an adviser before you apply.
If you get a pension or benefit from the EU, EEA or Switzerland
Your eligibility for Attendance Allowance could be affected. The rules in this area are complicated. Talk to an adviser before you apply.
If you’re not a UK citizen
The rules depend on whether you're a citizen of a country in the EU, EEA or Switzerland.
The EEA includes EU countries and Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. Check which countries are in the EU and EEA on GOV.UK.
If you're a citizen of a country in the EU, EEA or Switzerland
To apply for Attendance Allowance you need to show:
- you made the claim while you were in England, Scotland or Wales
- the UK, Ireland, Channel Islands or Isle of Man is your main home and you plan to stay - this is known as being 'habitually resident'
- you've lived in England, Scotland or Wales for the last 2 out of 3 years
If you're terminally ill you'll need to show you're habitually resident, but you don't need to have lived in Great Britain for 2 out of the last 3 years.
To claim Attendance Allowance you also normally have to have one of the following:
- British citizenship
- pre-settled or settled status from the EU Settlement Scheme
- indefinite leave to remain
If you’re waiting for a decision from the EU Settlement Scheme
You can claim Attendance Allowance if both of the following are true:
- you had a right to reside in the UK on 31 December 2020
- you applied to the EU Settlement Scheme by 30 June 2021
Your right to reside depends on things like your work, family and personal situation. You can check if you had a right to reside.
If none of these apply to you, you might be able to make a late application to the EU Settlement Scheme. You’ll need to have a good reason for missing the deadline of 30 June 2021. Find out more about claiming benefits if you’re from the EU.
Find our more about staying in the UK if you're from the EU.
If you're a citizen of a country outside the EU, EEA or Switzerland
You can’t apply for Attendance Allowance if you’re subject to immigration control.
To apply for Attendance Allowance you need to show:
- you made the claim while you were in England, Scotland or Wales
- the UK, Ireland, Channel Islands or Isle of Man is your main home and you plan to stay - this is known as being 'habitually resident'
- you've lived in England, Scotland or Wales for the last 2 out of 3 years
If you're terminally ill you'll need to show you're habitually resident, but you don't need to have lived in Great Britain for 2 out of the last 3 years.
If you’ve come from Ukraine because of the invasion
You don’t need to have lived in Great Britain or be habitually resident if you:
- were living in Ukraine by 31 December 2021
- left Ukraine because of the invasion
- have a visa that gives you the right to stay in the UK
You still need to make the claim while you’re in Great Britain.
If you’ve come from Afghanistan since 15 August 2021
You might be able to get Attendance Allowance if you came to the UK through one of these schemes:
- the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy, ARAP
- the Afghanistan Locally Employed Staff Ex-Gratia Scheme (ALES)
- the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme, ACRS
You also might be able to get Attendance Allowance if all of the following apply:
- you came to the UK from Afghanistan because of the fall of the government on 15 August 2021
- you’ve been given ‘leave to remain’
- it doesn’t say ‘no public funds’ on your immigration papers
- you’re habitually resident and have passed the past presence test
Your local council might ask you to prove your immigration status. You’ll need to show one of the following:
- a document showing you have come to the UK through one of the schemes
- a stamp or visa in your passport
- a letter from the Home Office that shows when you arrived and why
Before you try to get Attendance Allowance, talk to an adviser.