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Practical guideGuide
Attendance Allowance: How to Apply and What to Include
For people over State Pension age who need help with personal care. Impact on daily living matters more than your diagnosis.
Guide summary
For people over State Pension age who need help with personal care. Impact on daily living matters more than your diagnosis.
- Check State Pension age and current benefit position on GOV.UK before applying.
- Request form AA1 or apply online if the service is available to you.
- Describe care needs for day and night separately — AA rates depend on this pattern.
- Use examples of when supervision is needed for safety (falls risk, confusion, seizures).
Practical next steps
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Start here
Three immediate actions before you work through the full guide.
- 1Check State Pension age and current benefit position on GOV.UK before applying.
- 2Request form AA1 or apply online if the service is available to you.
- 3Describe care needs for day and night separately — AA rates depend on this pattern.
Quick answer
Attendance Allowance (AA) is a tax-free benefit for people over State Pension age who need help with personal care because of illness or disability. It is not based on income in the same way as means-tested benefits, but you must meet the care needs rules. AA does not cover mobility needs (that is a different benefit territory for under-66s).
Use this guide if…
- People over State Pension age who need care or supervision with personal tasks.
- People with physical or mental disabilities, including dementia, where care needs are present.
- Claimants who already receive other benefits — check interaction rules (AA may affect other benefits).
Common questions
Practical answers you can use straight away — expand any question for next steps, example wording, and related help.
For people over State Pension age who need help with personal care. Impact on daily living matters more than your diagnosis.
What to do next
- People over State Pension age who need care or supervision with personal tasks.
- People with physical or mental disabilities, including dementia, where care needs are present.
- Claimants who already receive other benefits — check interaction rules (AA may affect other benefits).
These are the errors that most often slow people down or weaken their case.
What to do next
- Describing mobility problems only without personal care or supervision needs.
- Writing “my partner helps me” without explaining tasks and frequency.
- Claiming AA while not over State Pension age (wrong benefit — check PIP or other routes).
- Not reporting changes if care needs increase or decrease later.
Keep written records and use the escalation routes below.
What to do next
- Request written decision and reasons.
- Consider asking for a reconsideration or challenging the decision using the route on your letter — get advice before deadlines.
- Contact Citizens Advice or Age UK for benefits help if you need support reapplying.
Step-by-step
Your progress
Step 1 of 7
Check State Pension age and current benefit position on GOV.UK before applying.
What this means
- Prepare: Completed AA1 claim form (or online claim where available).
- Check: Completed AA1 claim form (or online claim where available).
Practical checklist
- Check State Pension age and current benefit position on GOV.UK before applying.
- Prepare: Completed AA1 claim form (or online claim where available).
- Check: Completed AA1 claim form (or online claim where available).
Example approach
For people over State Pension age who need help with personal care. Impact on daily living matters more than your diagnosis.
Ask the AI: Help me with step 1 (Check State Pension age and current benefit position…) for Attendance Allowance: How to Apply and What to Include
You're making progress
You've completed 0 of 7 steps in this guide.
Evidence checklist
Keep or gather these before you contact an organisation or submit a form.
- Completed AA1 claim form (or online claim where available).
- List of care needs by time of day: washing, dressing, eating, medication, safety supervision.
- GP or nurse letter describing care needs (functional, not diagnosis only).
- Carer or family statement of what help is given daily.
- Hospital discharge or social care letters if they describe ongoing care needs.
Copy-and-adapt templates
Wording you can paste into email, letters, or conversation notes.
Day vs night care summary (for your draft)
Daytime: I need help with [washing / meals / meds] about [X] times per week. Without help, [risk]. Night: I need [supervision / turning / toileting help] because [reason]. Without help, [risk]. Supervision: [describe when you could hurt yourself or others if alone]
Common mistakes
- Describing mobility problems only without personal care or supervision needs.
- Writing “my partner helps me” without explaining tasks and frequency.
- Claiming AA while not over State Pension age (wrong benefit — check PIP or other routes).
- Not reporting changes if care needs increase or decrease later.
If they refuse, delay, or ignore you
- Request written decision and reasons.
- Consider asking for a reconsideration or challenging the decision using the route on your letter — get advice before deadlines.
- Contact Citizens Advice or Age UK for benefits help if you need support reapplying.
Access Stamp AI
Need help applying "Attendance Allowance: How to Apply and What to Include" to your situation? Ask about any step, evidence, or wording below.
Guide summary
- Check State Pension age and current benefit position on GOV.UK before applying.
- Request form AA1 or apply online if the service is available to you.
- Describe care needs for day and night separately — AA rates depend on this pattern.
- Use examples of when supervision is needed for safety (falls risk, confusion, seizures).
Helpful templates
At a glance
- Lower or higher rate depending on whether care/supervision is needed by day, night, or both.
- Help with extra costs of care (it is paid to the person, not the carer directly).
- Possible eligibility for other linked support — check current GOV.UK rules before claiming.
- Completed AA1 claim form (or online claim where available).
- List of care needs by time of day: washing, dressing, eating, medication, safety supervision.
Official guidance
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