Millions of grandparents to get pay rise next year – how much will you get?

 if you've already claimed your state pension and there are no children in the application.

Otherwise you'll have to use the Pension Credit claim line on 0800 99 1234 or apply by post by printing out and filling in .

You'll need to post the form to: The Pension Service 8, Post Handling Site B, Wolverhampton, WV99 1AN.

Attendance allowance

The attendance allowance is designed to help with extra costs if you have a disability severe enough that you need someone to help look after you.

It’s paid at two different  and how much you get depends on the level of care that you need because of your disability.

The higher rate will rise from £92.40 to £101.75, while the lower rate will also go up from £61.85 to £68.10.

There are 57 categories of medical conditions you can claim with, but the most commonly used ones are arthritis (30%) and dementia (8%).

But figures from earlier this year show some claimants could be missing out on cash they should be eligible for - so it's important you check.

To get attendance allowance you need to be:

• Physically or mentally disabled
• State Pension age or older

You cannot get Attendance Allowance if you already get Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payment (PIP).

To qualify for the lower amount, you need to require frequent help or constant supervision during the day, or supervision at night.

You get the higher amount if you need help or supervision throughout both day and night, or if you’re terminally ill.

Usually, you need to have needed help with your condition for more than six months to get the benefit, but this is waived if you're terminally ill.

You don't need to have a carer in order to claim, but if you do, they could get Carer’s Allowance if you have substantial caring needs.

You can't get Attendance Allowance if you live in a care home and your care is paid for by your local authority.

However, you can still claim if you pay for all your care home costs yourself.

To qualify, you also need to be in Great Britain when you claim, unless you're in the armed forces.

You need to have been in Great Britain for at least two of the last three years and be habitually resident in the UK.

However, you might still be able to get Attendance Allowance if you’re a UK national and you live in or move to the EU, European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland.

You can find a full list of medical categories that are eligible here.

Signing up for attendance allowance may also boost any other benefits you get.

For instance, you could get extra Pension Credit, Housing Benefit or a council tax reduction.