The DWP is urging older Brits to check if they are eligible for Attendance Allowance, offering up to £110.40 a week
Linda Howard Money and Consumer Writer
15:17, 01 Nov 2025
Attendance Allowance is available to people of state pension age(Image: inyourArea)
State pensioners with certain health conditions could be entitled to over £5,700 in extra support from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Elderly Brits are being encouraged to check if they qualify for Attendance Allowance.
This benefit is not means-tested and offers either £73.90 or £110.40 a week, depending on your care needs. You need to be of state pension age to apply.
The scheme is designed to help cover the additional costs associated with a disability or health condition where you require assistance from someone else, according to the Daily Record. Payments are typically made every four weeks, meaning recipients receive either £295.60 or £441.60 each pay period.
This amounts to up to £5,740.80 annually, or £478.40 monthly. The benefit aims to support individuals who live with disabilities, chronic illnesses, or mental or physical health issues.
You do not need to have a carer in order to make a claim.
A wide range of health conditions are covered by Attendance Allowance, with arthritis being the most common disabling condition – a term used by the DWP.
Previous DWP figures showed these were some of the most common 48 conditions:
Arthritis – 47%.Spondylosis – 48%.Back Pain – Other / Precise Diagnosis not Specified – 43%.Disease Of The Muscles, Bones or Joints – 40%.Trauma to Limbs – 36%.Visual Disorders and Diseases – 41%.Hearing Disorders – 42%.Heart Disease – 50%.Respiratory Disorders and Diseases – 33%.Asthma – 47%.Cystic Fibrosis – 27%.Cerebrovascular Disease – 42%.Peripheral vascular Disease – 41%.Epilepsy – 44%.Neurological Diseases – 50%.Multiple Sclerosis – 52%.Parkinson’s – 30%.Motor Neurone Disease – 32%.Chronic Pain Syndromes – 39%.Diabetes Mellitus – 39%.Metabolic Disease – 38%.Traumatic Paraplegia – 54%.Major Trauma Other than Traumatic/Paraplegia – 45%.Learning Difficulties – 48%.Psychosis – 44%.Psychoneurosis – 38%.Personality Disorder – 48%.Dementia – 20%.Behavioural Disorder – 28%.Alcohol and Drug Abuse – 37%.Hyperkinetic Syndrome – 27%.Renal Disorders – 26%.Inflammatory Bowel Disease – 42%.Bowel and Stomach Disease – 37%.Blood Disorders – 39%.Haemophilia – 39%.Multi System Disorders – 41%.Multiple Allergy Syndrome – 44%.Skin Disease – 37%.Malignant Disease – 35%.Haemodialysis – 22%.Frailty – 100%.AIDS – 47%.Coronavirus covid-19 – 1%.Viral disease – precise diagnosis not specified – 13%.Tuberculosis – 53%.Bacterial disease – precise diagnosis not specified – 43%.Cognitive disorder (other) – 22%.Who is eligible for Attendance Allowance from the DWP?
If you’re living with a disability or illness and require assistance or supervision throughout the day or occasionally during the night – even if you’re not currently receiving that help – you might consider applying for Attendance Allowance. This could encompass needing help with personal care, such as dressing, eating or drinking, getting in and out of bed, bathing or showering, and using the toilet.
You might also consider applying if you find personal tasks challenging, for example, if they take you a long time, cause discomfort, or if you need physical support, like a chair to lean on. Attendance Allowance isn’t solely available for individuals with a physical disability or illness.
You could also be eligible if you have a mental health condition, learning difficulties, or a sensory condition, such as being deaf or visually impaired, and you require additional help. Attendance Allowance isn’t means-tested, so your other income or savings won’t affect it.
It’s also tax-free and you’ll be exempt from the benefit cap, meaning no money will be deducted from any other benefits if you claim. It won’t affect your state pension entitlement and you can even claim it if you’re still employed and earning money in this way.
Claiming Attendance Allowance could potentially increase your Pension Credit, Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction. To determine if this is the case, you can contact the helpline or office that handles whichever of these benefits you’re claiming.