Pensioners could be entitled to the payment (Image: PixeloneStocker via Getty Images)
Pensioners are being urged to ensure they are not missing out on a benefit potentially worth almost £6,000 a year — and it is not means-tested.
Attendance Allowance is a weekly payment from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) designed to assist with additional costs for those living with a disability or health condition severe enough to require care from another person.
It is paid at two separate rates, and the amount awarded to successful claimants depends on the level of care needed as a result of the disability or health condition, according to the UK Government website.
You could get £76.70 or £114.60 a week to help with personal support if both of the following apply:
To qualify, the disability or health condition must be serious enough that the claimant requires assistance looking after themselves, or supervision to ensure their own or somebody else’s safety. They must also have required that level of care for a minimum of 6 months.
The £76.70 rate is awarded to those who need frequent assistance or constant supervision during the day, or supervision during the night.
The £114.60 rate applies to individuals who require help or supervision throughout both the day and night, or to those whom a medical professional has confirmed are approaching the end of their life.
The higher rate amounts to £5,959 over the course of a year, and given the significant expense of care, it is vital that those who are eligible claim the benefit without delay — particularly as payments are not backdated.
MoneySavingExpert.com, the consumer finance website established by money saving guru Martin Lewis, states Attendance Allowance is “one of the most underclaimed benefits, with as many as 1.1 million missing out on up to £5.2 BILLION a year” and urges people with support needs covered by the eligibility criteria to establish whether they qualify.
The benefit is not means-tested, meaning your earnings or savings don’t influence how much you receive. Recipients have freedom to spend the money as they wish.
Moreover, it’s not subject to tax, and therefore has no impact on tax status.
Receiving it may also enable claimants to access additional Pension Credit, Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction, delivering further savings as cost-of-living pressures persist.
Attendance Allowance can be applied for online or by post. Those applying for someone else and who are an appointee, you, or a deputy with power of attorney will need to complete a paper form and apply by post.
Other eligibility criteria apply, such as not being on certain benefits, including Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Adult Disability Payment (ADP), Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance (SADLA), or Armed Forces Independence Payment (AFIP).
In Scotland, Attendance allowance has been replaced by the Pension Age Disability Payment. You can find out more about eligibility on the UK Government website.
