There is a 32-page form sitting on a kitchen table somewhere in Cheshire right now, half filled in, and it is costing that family £76.70 a week to leave it there.
Attendance Allowance is one of the most under-claimed benefits in the country, and the reasons are always the same. People assume they earn too much, or have too much saved. They assume they need a diagnosis. Or they start the form, see how long it is, and put it down.
None of those reasons hold up. Let me go through it properly.
What is Attendance Allowance?
Attendance Allowance is a payment from the Department for Work and Pensions for people over State Pension age who need help with personal care, or who need someone around to keep them safe.
It is not means-tested. Savings, income, pensions and property are not looked at. Your mum could own her house outright and have a comfortable pension, and she can still claim.
There are also no rules on how it is spent. Taxis. A cleaner. Extra heating. Ready meals. Paying a neighbour who helps out. Whatever makes the week easier.
The rates for 2026/27
There are two rates:
- £76.70 a week if help is needed during the day or the night.
- £114.60 a week if help is needed during the day and the night, or if the person is terminally ill.
It is paid every four weeks, which works out at thirteen payments a year.
Where families lose £1,970 a year
The gap between the two rates is £37.90 a week. Over a year, that is £1,970.80.
Night-time help is what most families leave off the form. And I understand why. After months of getting up at 2am, it becomes so routine that nobody thinks to write it down.
But it all counts. Toilet trips. Getting up to check on someone who wanders. Repositioning them in bed. Sitting with someone who has woken distressed and cannot settle. If any of that is part of the night in your house, say so on the form, because it is what moves a claim from the lower rate to the higher one.
Things people get wrong about Attendance Allowance
A few points that catch families out again and again:
- No diagnosis is needed. The test is about the impact the condition has on an ordinary day.
- The person does not need to already be receiving help. The test is whether they need it. Someone struggling on alone still qualifies.
- Payment backdates to the day the DWP receives the form, and no earlier. Every week the form sits unfinished is a week of money gone for good.
- Attendance Allowance usually needs to come first for the Council Tax exemption. Apply for Attendance Allowance before the Council Tax claim, or the Council Tax claim gets refused.
One way families end up worse off
More benefits does not always mean more money, and this is the trap worth knowing about.
If a relative claims Carer’s Allowance, and the person being cared for gets Pension Credit with a severe disability addition, that addition can be lost. The household can end up with less than it started with.
Check the combined household position before claiming both. Ten minutes with a welfare rights adviser can save you from an expensive mistake.
Where to get help with the form
The form runs to 32 pages, so most families need a hand with it. These are the local services we point families to:
Cheshire East: Age UK Cheshire East on 01625 612958, or Citizens Advice Cheshire East on 0808 812 6186.
Buxton and Whaley Bridge: Derbyshire Welfare Rights Service on 01629 531535. Free, run by the county council, and they will do home visits.
Leek and Biddulph: Citizens Advice on 01538 373 068, on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday mornings, or the free North Staffordshire line on 0808 278 7876.
And if you would rather talk it through first, ring us on 01625 720157. There is no charge for the conversation and you do not need to be a client of ours.
Kim Blissett is the Registered Manager of Visiting Angels Cheshire East.
