The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is set to raise Attendance Allowance payments to £118.60 a week from April 2027. The benefit supports older people with disabilities or health conditions, and unlike many forms of financial assistance, eligibility does not depend on income or savings.
Attendance Allowance Rates Will Rise in April 2027
According to Birmingham Live, the DWP plans to increase both rates of Attendance Allowance by 3.5%, reflecting inflation-related benefit adjustments.
The lower weekly rate will rise from £76.70 to £79.40, an increase of £2.70. The higher rate will move from £114.60 to £118.60, giving eligible recipients an additional £4 each week.
At the new rates, someone receiving the higher payment throughout a full 52-week year could receive £6,167.20, compared with £5,959.20 at the previous rate. The lower rate would amount to £4,128.80 annually.
Attendance Allowance is intended for people who have reached State Pension age and need personal care or supervision because of a disability or health condition. It is not automatically paid to everyone receiving the State Pension.
The amount awarded depends on the level of assistance a claimant needs, rather than their financial circumstances.
Why Savings and Income Do Not Affect the Payment
One of the defining features of Attendance Allowance is that it is not means-tested.
This means pensioners do not have to meet an income threshold or reduce their savings to qualify. Their earnings, pension income and money held in savings accounts do not determine whether they can receive the benefit.
Instead, the DWP considers how a disability or medical condition affects daily life.
Eligible conditions can include physical disabilities, sensory impairments such as blindness, mental disabilities, learning difficulties and other long-term health conditions.
Applicants must generally show that they need help looking after themselves or require supervision to protect their own safety or that of another person.
The need for assistance must normally have existed for at least six months before a claim can qualify.
Who Can Claim the Higher Weekly Rate?
Attendance Allowance has two payment levels, reflecting different care and supervision requirements.
The lower rate generally applies to people who need frequent help or supervision during the day, or assistance or someone watching over them at night.
The higher rate is generally available to those who meet the relevant conditions for both daytime and nighttime needs.
People approaching the end of life because of a life-limiting illness may qualify under special rules. These allow claims to be processed more quickly and can provide access to the higher payment without the usual six-month waiting requirement.
Importantly, applicants do not necessarily need to have a paid caregiver to qualify. The assessment focuses on the help they reasonably require, whether or not someone currently provides it.
Residency Rules and Existing Benefits Can Affect Eligibility
Claimants must generally be in Great Britain when applying and have lived there for at least two of the previous three years.
Exceptions apply to certain groups, including refugees, people with humanitarian protection and some members of the armed forces and their families.
Applicants must also meet habitual residence and immigration requirements.
People already receiving certain disability benefits, including Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Adult Disability Payment (ADP), Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance (SADLA) or Armed Forces Independence Payment (AFIP), cannot receive Attendance Allowance alongside those payments.
In Scotland, Pension Age Disability Payment has replaced new Attendance Allowance claims.
The DWP does not routinely require every applicant to undergo a medical assessment. An assessment is arranged when officials need more information about how a condition affects the claimant. In those cases, the applicant receives a letter explaining the reason and location, and a healthcare professional conducts the examination.
