Attendance Allowance

Attendance Allowance (AA) is a welfare benefit paid by the Department for Work Pensions. It is not means tested, is tax free, doesn’t depend on National Insurance contributions, and does not count as income for other benefits. There are no controls on how a recipient spends their allowance. It is paid to people aged 65 years and over who are normally resident in the UK and who have certain personal care or supervision needs. personal care means things like needing help with getting up, getting dressed, washed and toileting, but it doesn’t cover needing help with shopping or housework. The allowance is based on the help that is needed, not that given. Eligible people can be living alone or with another, regardless of whether they have a carer or not.

There are 2 conditions at least one of which must be met, for a claimant to be eligible for AA. These are:-

Day Conditions: people who need frequent help with personal care during the day, or who need continual supervision throughout the day
Night Conditions: people who need prolonged or repeated personal care help at night, or who need another person to be awake during much of the night to watch over them;

There are 2 rates for AA:

Lower Rate: paid to people who meet either the day or night conditions
Higher Rate: paid to people who meet both the day and night conditions

Associated Downloads:

Claiming Disability Benefits - April 2009 to April 2010 (182kb)

Disability Benefits: Attendance Allowance and Disability Living Allowance (611kb)

Homesharing (838kb)

Self-Funding Care Home Fees (162kb)