Attendance Allowance checker
Attendance Allowance pays £76.70 a week at the lower rate or £114.60 at the higher rate for 2026/27, according to gov.uk, depending on whether help is needed by day, night, or both. It is not means tested. Only the Department for Work and Pensions decides an award, so this guide cannot be relied on to make a claim.
What is the difference between the two rates?
Attendance Allowance has two flat weekly rates and no points system, as set out on gov.uk. Needing help or supervision during the day only, or during the night only, points to the lower rate. Needing help across both day and night, or being terminally ill, points to the higher rate.
| Rate | Weekly amount |
|---|---|
| Lower rate | £76.70 |
| Higher rate | £114.60 |
Does my income or savings affect it?
The test that gov.uk applies is reasonable need, not current care. A person can qualify even if nobody is helping them yet, as long as the need for help can be shown. The benefit is not means tested, so income and savings make no difference to it. Claiming it can also raise other means-tested benefits, so an award is often worth more than the weekly rate alone.
Does this apply in Scotland or Northern Ireland?
Not in Scotland. mygov.scot states that Pension Age Disability Payment is replacing Attendance Allowance in Scotland, and gov.uk directs a person living in Scotland to apply for Pension Age Disability Payment instead. It is administered by Social Security Scotland, which has been moving existing awards across automatically. The transfer has been phased, so a reader in Scotland should check their own position with Social Security Scotland rather than rely on this page.
Northern Ireland keeps the name Attendance Allowance, administered there by the Disability and Carers Service. Wales uses the same scheme as England.
What does the worked example show?
Someone over State Pension age who needs help getting washed and dressed in the morning and also needs someone to check on them at night would point to the higher rate, an estimated £114.60 a week, about £5,959 a year. If the help were only needed in the daytime, it would instead point to the lower rate of £76.70 a week. Only the Department for Work and Pensions can confirm which rate, if any, applies after an assessment.
Common questions
What is Attendance Allowance?
Attendance Allowance helps with the extra costs of a long-term illness or disability if you are over State Pension age and need help with personal care or supervision to stay safe. It is paid at two flat weekly rates for 2026/27: £76.70 lower and £114.60 higher. It is not means tested and is tax free.
What is the difference between the two rates?
The lower rate is for help or supervision needed during the day only, or during the night only. The higher rate is for help needed both day and night, or if you are terminally ill. You do not need to be getting the help now, only to be able to show you need it.
Does my income or savings affect it?
No. Attendance Allowance is not affected by your income, savings or National Insurance record. It does not reduce your State Pension. In fact claiming it can increase other means-tested benefits such as Pension Credit, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction, so it is worth claiming even if your finances are comfortable.
Do I have to have a diagnosis or a carer?
No. You do not need a formal diagnosis, and you do not need to have someone already caring for you. The test is about the help you reasonably need with things like washing, dressing, eating, taking medication or staying safe, not about whether that help is currently provided.
What about people under State Pension age?
Attendance Allowance is only for people over State Pension age. Someone under that age would instead look at Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which covers similar needs but is scored on a points system and includes a mobility part.
What does the worked example show?
In the worked example, needing help by day and by night points to the higher rate of £114.60 a week, about £5959 a year. Needing help during the day only would instead point to the lower rate of £76.70 a week. These figures are estimates, and only the Department for Work and Pensions decides an actual award after assessing evidence of care needs.
Sources & Rate Verification
Rates verified against official statutory guidance on 6 September 2026.