Our clear guide walks you through the forms step-by-step, so you can apply with confidence and peace of mind.
Anyone of State Pension age (66 in 2025/26) or older, whose health impacts their ability to live safely, may be eligible for Attendance Allowance. It can be a real help financially, but the forms do require some thought and guidance.
Attendance Allowance is a benefit that is not means-tested, so income and savings will have no bearing on whether or not a person qualifies. It is also tax-exempt, so there’s no need to declare it as income.
There are no restrictions on how you can spend your Attendance Allowance. You do not have to spend it on paying for the care that you need. However, your council or trust can take Attendance Allowance into account when calculating how much you might need to pay for any care services you receive from them.
The different rates and forms you need to complete
There are two rates available: a lower rate (2025/26 rate £73.90) if care/supervision needs are in the day OR night, and a higher rate (2025/26 rate £110.40) if needs cover the day AND night.
A successful claim may also entitle you to additional Pension Credit and even other benefits like Council Tax Reduction or Housing Benefit.
You do not have to have someone caring for you in order to claim. But if you do have a carer, they could get Carers Allowance if you have substantial caring needs.
How to start an Attendance Allowance application
To apply for Attendance Allowance, you will need to complete the AA1 form for the DWP. Here’s how to do it:
Applying online
Apply online here. You can ask to have a copy of the form sent to you by calling 0345 605 6055 (Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm) or you can go online to either download and/or print the form. You can download guidance from the Department of Work and Pensions about completing the form too.
Applying by post
Either print and send the Attendance Allowance claim form or contact the helpline to request a claim form.
Attendance Allowance helpline
- Telephone: 0800 731 0122
- Relay UK (if you cannot hear or speak on the phone): 18001 then 0800 731 0122
- British Sign Language (BSL): video relay service if you’re on a computer – find out how to use the service on mobile or tablet
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm (find out about call charges).
If you live in Scotland, you need to apply for Pension Age Disability Payment instead of Attendance Allowance.
The Special Rules
If you are suffering from a terminal illness and are expected to have less than 12 months to live, there are special rules to ensure you receive your allowance as quickly as possible. To apply for the special rules, you must include an SR1 (Special Rules) form with your main application (this form is provided by a GP or consultant).
First things first...
When you’re ready to complete the main AA1 form for applying for Attendance Allowance here are our top tips:
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You do not have to be in receipt of either paid or informal care to be eligible for Attendance Allowance. It will ask you to state how you carry out different tasks in your daily life, so you should focus on the difficulties you have.
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Describe the help you NEED, as well as the help you GET. People who live alone may not get any help, but this doesn’t mean those people wouldn’t benefit from help if it were available.
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Explain why you have problems completing specific tasks, and which conditions/disabilities impact that.
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Some tasks may be fine in themselves, but mobility restrictions prevent you from completing them easily. If some tasks are painful or difficult to complete, or if you need to be prompted to do them, include that information on the form.
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Don’t understate or underestimate your needs when completing the form. Be realistic and remember that some days are worse than others.
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The assessor will not be interested in difficulties with tasks like shopping or housework. The claim is based around so-called ‘bodily functions’ like eating, bathing or going to the toilet.
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Don’t worry about repeating certain challenges on different sections of the form – this repetition will help show the extent to which these things affect your life.
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Put as much detail as possible, as this form will be the entire basis of the assessment.
Key facts about Attendance Allowance
It doesn’t matter whether you currently receive any help or care, or what you spend the allowance on. If you qualify as ‘in need of help’, you get the allowance.
After you send your claim, you’ll get a text or letter within three weeks that explains when you can expect a decision. Once a decision is made, you’ll get a letter explaining the outcome.
Processing times for Attendance Allowance (AA) vary, but generally, you can expect a decision letter within 8 to 12 weeks, though recent data from early 2025 suggests an average of 19 working days for standard claims. Payments can be backdated to the date the claim was submitted.
Receipt of Attendance Allowance won’t impact any other benefits. But if you apply to live at a care home funded by your local authority, AA is counted as income during means testing.
If you are temporarily away from home, your AA should not be affected. This includes going into a hospital/care home for less than four weeks, going abroad for less than 13 weeks (26 weeks if you go abroad to receive treatment).
If your application for Attendance Allowance is successful, and you have a carer, that person may be entitled to receive Carer’s Allowance.
Information you will need for the form
Before you start, you will need to ensure you have the following information to hand:
- National Insurance number
- GP name and the address of the surgery
- Details of medications
- Details of any medical professionals you’ve seen about existing conditions/disabilities (apart from GP)
- Hospital record number (if applicable)
- Details of any hospitals/care homes/hospices stayed at, including dates of stay
Before you actually begin writing anything down, it’s a good idea to have a think about your answers. Attendance Allowance is not actually based on the conditions or disabilities you have, but on how these things affect your day-to-day life.
Think about all the daily tasks you or your loved one struggles with, no matter how little. Consider how these things are difficult on particularly bad days, and don’t be afraid to go into as much detail as possible for each section.
Can I claim Attendance Allowance in a care home?
Yes, if you’re a self-funder. However, if your care is paid for by your local authority, you’ll only receive Attendance Allowance for the first 28 days in the care home.
What are the sections of the form?
1. Details of illnesses/disabilities
You will be required to list your conditions on this form, so be sure to include them all. State how long you have had/will have these conditions (you don’t have to be absolutely precise). Any conditions you have had for six months or more will be most important, as you need to have had problems for more than six months to qualify for AA.
Include an up-to-date list of prescriptions to save you having to write all your medications down.
2. Medical professionals (beyond your GP)
Give details of any medical professionals that you have seen in the last 12 months. This includes hospital doctors, district nurses and consultants. If you have seen multiple professionals, you can add their details to the ‘Extra Information’ section later.
It would help to include any correspondence these people have sent you, and sign the consent for the assessor to contact them.
3. Aids and adaptations
If you have any equipment to help you in your daily life, list it here. This includes things like walking sticks, chair risers and grab rails, or even larger items like bath hoists and stair lifts. If using this equipment is difficult for you, be sure to note that down. For example, you could say “my stick helps me keep steady but it is still painful to walk”.
When you fill in the sections you should include the following:
- What condition causes the difficulty
- What difficulties you have with a specific activity
- The support that you need
- How long it takes to complete the activity
- An example of the difficulty you have
Ensuring you complete the 30-page form correctly can be difficult and time-consuming. Many applications are turned down because people don’t mention or aren’t clear about how their illness or disability affects their everyday life.
Specialist organisations like Kinly.org can complete and submit Attendance Allowance forms for you. One phone call with them and an application can be submitted within 48 hours.
Examples of good answers on the Attendance Allowance application form
Here are some example answers you could give in the Attendance Allowance form to give a good representation of the issues you face:
Because of my angina, I have to stop and sit on my bed for several minutes to catch my breath and steady myself before I can get up in the morning.
Due to my arthritis, it is difficult to undress in order to use the toilet. It is also hard to push the flush handle and turn the taps to wash my hands – I always need help with these things.
Most days, my depression causes me to lack the motivation to bother with washing unless someone pushes me and checks that I do it.
My chronic asthma can cause me to become very breathless, meaning I have to rest in between putting on/removing items of clothing. The whole process can take more than half an hour.
If you plan to fill in the form online, it is advisable to also open the printable version as this provides all the notes for filling it in. You can have your Attendance Allowance packs in large print or braille and can also have an interpreter organised.
For help with these things, you can call the Attendance Allowance helpline. If you fill in the paper version of the form, don’t be afraid of making mistakes – it is perfectly acceptable to cross out mistakes and rewrite your answers.
Statement of Support
Towards the end of the form, you are provided with an opportunity to include a statement from someone who is familiar with your daily needs. Asking someone to do this can be really helpful to reinforce your case, whether it’s a friend, a relative or a professional who knows you well, such as a doctor or nurse.
If that person has a good understanding of the what’s important in an application for Attendance Allowance, that will help them to include the most relevant information.
The applicant must sign the form. The only exceptions to this are if someone else holds Power of Attorney, or the applicant has a mental-health problem that prevents them from signing. There is an explanation on the form of what needs to be done in these circumstances.
Once an application has been received, the applicant may be asked to attend a medical assessment. This can be held at the applicant’s home if travelling is a problem. If you are asked to attend one of these, it can help to have someone with you like a relative or friend to ensure everything is clear.
We have lots more information and guidance on eligibility for Attendance Allowance and other benefits available.
You can find out more about funding later life in our finance section.
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