People of State Pension age may be able to get additional financial support if they have health issues, taking their retirement income to more than £1,300 every four weeks. Just over 1.5 million people of pension age receive Attendance Allowance from the Department for Work and Pensions - including 22,000 people in Birmingham - but another 1.1 million are believed to be missing out.
Attendance Allowance helps with extra costs if you have a disability or health condition that means you need someone to help look after you. But it's important to note that you don't actually have to have someone caring for you in order to put in a claim. In addition, Attendance Allowance can be a gateway to extra Pension Credit, Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction.
The lower rate of £72.65 per week is for those who need frequent help or constant supervision during the day, or supervision at night, while a higher rate of £108.55 a week can be claimed by those who require help day and night, or if a medical professional has said they may have 12 months or less to live.
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To qualify, you must have a physical disability (including a sensory disability, such as blindness), a mental disability (including learning difficulties), or both. Your health issues need to be severe enough for you to need help caring for yourself or someone to supervise you, for your own or someone else's safety. In addition, you must have needed this help for at least six months prior to a claim being submitted.
If claimed on top of the Old State Pension it could push total retirement funds up to £278.05 a week. This equates to £1,122.20 every four weeks, or £14,458.60 a year. If claimed in addition to the New State Pension, it could lift the total to £329.75. That's equivalent to £1,319 every four weeks, and £17,147 over a year.
Attendance Allowance isn't means-tested so it doesn't matter what other income or savings you have and it won't count as income that pushes you up into the tax bracket, which currently sets a personal tax allowance of £12,570 a year. See the amounts of pension and Attendance Allowance, separately and combined, in our guide below.
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New State Pension
Weekly rate 2024/25
Full rate: £221.20
Monthly equivalent (every four weeks): £884.80
Annual equivalent: £11,502.40
Old State Pension
Weekly rate 2024/2025
Category A or B basic pension: £169.50
Monthly equivalent (every four weeks): £678
Annual equivalent: £8,814
Attendance Allowance
Weekly rate 2024/2025
- Higher rate: £108.55
- Lower rate: £72.65
Monthly equivalent (every four weeks): Higher rate £434.20, lower rate £290.60
Annual equivalent: Higher rate £5,644.60, lower rate £3,777.80
Combined amounts (per week)
- New State Pension plus low rate Attendance Allowance: £293.85 (£1,175.40 every four weeks, £15,280.20 a year)
- New State Pension plus high rate Attendance Allowance: £329.75 (£1,319 every four weeks, £17,147 a year)
- Old State Pension plus low rate Attendance Allowance: £242.15 (£968.60 every four weeks, £12,591.80 a year)
- Old State Pension plus high rate Attendance Allowance: £278.05 (£1,122.20 every four weeks, £14,458.60 a year)
The 10 most common conditions recorded on Attendance Allowance claims
- Arthritis - 441,033 people
- Dementia - 183,936
- Heart disease - 109,452
- Respiratory disorders and diseases - 89,789
- Disease of the muscles, bones or joints - 77,326
- Cerebrovascular disease (such as stroke, aneurysm)- 74,026
- Back pain - 64,449
- Malignant disease (cancer)- 52,618
- Visual disorders and diseases - 48,909
- Parkinson's disease - 41,507
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