Overlooked DWP benefit rule that could top up your State Pension by £5,644 a year

OVER a million people are estimated to be missing out on a little-known benefit worth over £5,500 a year.

Analysis from Policy in Practice, carried out in December last year, found that just 69% of people who are eligible for Attendance Allowance are claiming it.

This means that around 1.1million people are missing out on 5.2billion worth of benefits that they are entitled to.

If you qualify for the higher rate, Attendance Allowance is worth £108.55 a week, which works out as £5,644.60 a year.

Even at the lower rate, it’s worth £72.65 a week or £3,777.80 a year, over a third of the total value of the state pension, so it’s well worth putting a claim in.

Here’s everything you need to know including who qualifies for Attendance Allowance, how to claim it, and how to work out what you might get.

What is Attendance Allowance?

Attendance Allowance is a government benefit designed to help with the extra cost of living if you have a disability or health condition that is serious enough that you need someone to help look after you.

You can also claim it if you have a terminal illness and are nearing the end of your life.

Who qualifies for Attendance Allowance?

To get attendance allowance you need to be over state pension age. Currently that’s 66, but it will soon rise to 67 for people born after April 1960. The changes are expected to come in between 2026 and 2028.

To be eligible for the benefit, you also need to have a physical or mental disability or a health condition. 

This will need to be serious enough that you need someone to help care for you, or you need supervision for yours or someone else’s safety. You must have needed that help for at least six months to claim.

The rules are different if you’re terminally ill with not long left to live, and you should be able to get the higher rate much more quickly.

You usually need to be in Great Britain to claim, although there are some exceptions for people in the army and their family members. 

You also need to have been here for two of the last three years and be classed as “habitually resident” which means that your main home is in the UK. Those rules may not apply if you’re a refugee or have humanitarian protection status.

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 cannot get Attendance Allowance if you already receive the Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Adult Disability Payment (ADP).

You also cannot usually 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 costs yourself.

If it’s not clear how your disability or health condition affects you, you might have to have an assessment. You’ll get a letter saying why and where you need to go. A medical professional will be at the assessment to examine you and assess your needs.