The Short Answer
Attendance Allowance pays £76.70 a week at the lower rate and £114.60 a week at the higher rate in 2026/27, for people who claim at or after State Pension age. The lower rate is for help during the day or supervision at night. The higher rate is for help by day and night, or near the end of life. There is no mobility component. The benefit is not means-tested and is tax free. Under State Pension age, the claim is for PIP instead.
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Key facts
| Fact | Figure | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower rate a week (2026/27) | £76.70 | GOV.UK | 30 September 2026 |
| Higher rate a week (2026/27) | £114.60 | GOV.UK | 30 September 2026 |
| Every 4 weeks (2026/27) | £306.80 or £458.40 | GOV.UK | 30 September 2026 |
| Age to claim | State Pension age or over | GOV.UK | 30 September 2026 |
| Mobility component | None | GOV.UK | 30 September 2026 |
| Means-tested | No | GOV.UK | 30 September 2026 |
How Much Is Attendance Allowance in 2026/27?
Attendance Allowance is £76.70 a week at the lower rate and £114.60 a week at the higher rate in 2026/27, and the rate depends on when you need help. GOV.UK pays the lower rate for frequent help or constant supervision during the day, or supervision at night. It pays the higher rate for help or supervision throughout both day and night, or where a medical professional has said you are nearing the end of life. You do not need to have a carer to claim.
| Rate | Level of help | A week | Every 4 weeks | A month on average | A year | PIP daily living, same year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower rate | Frequent help or constant supervision during the day, or supervision at night | £76.70 | £306.80 | £332.37 | £3,988.40 | £76.70 (standard) |
| Higher rate | Help or supervision throughout both day and night, or a medical professional has said you're nearing the end of life | £114.60 | £458.40 | £496.60 | £5,959.20 | £114.60 (enhanced) |
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Source: GOV.UK, Attendance Allowance: what you'll get; PIP: how much you'll get
Attendance Allowance is paid by the DWP in England and Wales. In Scotland new claims are for Pension Age Disability Payment, and people who already get Adult Disability Payment, Scotland's PIP replacement, stay on it when they reach State Pension age.
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How Much Is Attendance Allowance per Month?
Attendance Allowance averages £332.37 a month at the lower rate and £496.60 a month at the higher rate in 2026/27, but it is never paid as a calendar-month amount. Regulation 22 of the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations 1987 lets it be paid every four weeks in arrears or weekly in advance. One 4-weekly payment is £306.80 at the lower rate or £458.40 at the higher rate, and 52 weeks hold 13 such payments.
| Rate | A week | Every 4 weeks | A month on average | A year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower | £76.70 | £306.80 | £332.37 | £3,988.40 |
| Higher | £114.60 | £458.40 | £496.60 | £5,959.20 |
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A monthly figure spreads 52 weeks over 12 months. Quoting a 4-weekly payment as "a month" understates the monthly average by £25.57 at the lower rate and £38.20 at the higher rate.
What Were Attendance Allowance Rates in Previous Years?
Attendance Allowance was £73.90 and £110.40 a week in 2025/26, £72.65 and £108.55 in 2024/25, and £68.10 and £101.75 in 2023/24. Each year's rates apply from the April uprating, and the 2026/27 rates rose by £2.80 and £4.20 a week on 2025/26.
| Benefit year | Lower rate a week | Higher rate a week | Lower, every 4 weeks | Higher, every 4 weeks | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026/27 | £76.70 | £114.60 | £306.80 | £458.40 | GOV.UK |
| 2025/26 | £73.90 | £110.40 | £295.60 | £441.60 | GOV.UK |
| 2024/25 | £72.65 | £108.55 | £290.60 | £434.20 | GOV.UK |
| 2023/24 | £68.10 | £101.75 | £272.40 | £407.00 | GOV.UK |
| 2022/23 | £61.85 | £92.40 | £247.40 | £369.60 | GOV.UK |
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Source: DWP benefit and pension rates publications; GOV.UK, Attendance Allowance: what you'll get
Each rate applies only to the weeks inside its own benefit year, from one April uprating to the next. The lower and higher rates have matched the PIP standard and enhanced daily living rates in every year shown.
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How Do Attendance Allowance Rates Compare With PIP?
Attendance Allowance pays the same two weekly amounts as the PIP daily living part, £76.70 and £114.60 in 2026/27, but it has no mobility part. PIP adds a mobility part of £30.30 or £80.00 a week, so the most PIP pays is £194.60 a week against £114.60 for Attendance Allowance.
| Attendance Allowance | PIP | |
|---|---|---|
| Age for a new claim | State Pension age or over | 16 to State Pension age |
| Care or daily living, a week | £76.70 or £114.60 | £76.70 or £114.60 |
| Mobility, a week | None | £30.30 or £80.00 |
| Most a week | £114.60 | £194.60 |
| How the rate is decided | Help needed by day, at night, or both | Points across 12 activities |
| Means-tested | No | No |
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The two benefits cannot be paid together. GOV.UK makes getting PIP, DLA or Adult Disability Payment a bar to Attendance Allowance.
Daily living component
Standard rate
£76.70 a week
- every 4 weeks
- £306.80
- a month on average
- £332.37
- a year
- £3,988.40
Enhanced rate
£114.60 a week
- every 4 weeks
- £458.40
- a month on average
- £496.60
- a year
- £5,959.20
Mobility component
Standard rate
£30.30 a week
- every 4 weeks
- £121.20
- a month on average
- £131.30
- a year
- £1,575.60
Enhanced rate
£80.00 a week
- every 4 weeks
- £320.00
- a month on average
- £346.67
- a year
- £4,160.00
Both components at the enhanced rate
- a week
- £194.60
- every 4 weeks
- £778.40
- a month on average
- £843.27
- a year
- £10,119.20
PIP is paid every 4 weeks, so a year holds 13 payments; the monthly figure spreads 52 weeks across 12 months. Rates for 2026/27 apply from April 2026.
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Source: GOV.UK, PIP: how much you'll get (2026/27 rates)
Is Attendance Allowance Means-Tested or Taxable?
No: Attendance Allowance is neither means-tested nor taxable. GOV.UK states that "what you earn or how much you have in savings will not affect what you get", and it lists Attendance Allowance among the tax-free state benefits. GOV.UK adds that an award can bring extra Pension Credit, Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction. Where Constant Attendance Allowance is paid as well, Attendance Allowance is reduced by that amount.
Why Your Age Decides Whether You Get PIP or Attendance Allowance
Your age on the day you claim decides the benefit: a new claim under State Pension age is for PIP, and a new claim at or after it is usually for Attendance Allowance. GOV.UK states: "If you're over State Pension age, you cannot usually make a new claim for PIP. You can apply for Attendance Allowance instead." A new PIP claim above that age is still possible if you got PIP or Adult Disability Payment in the last 12 months.
An award that is already in place is treated differently. Regulation 25 of the PIP Regulations 2013 lets PIP continue past State Pension age where you were entitled to it the day before, so an existing award, including its mobility part, carries on. What happens to that award at reviews is set out in PIP after State Pension age, and every age threshold is on age rules.
The choice therefore turns on timing. Attendance Allowance pays the same care amounts as the standard and enhanced weekly rates of PIP daily living, but never the mobility part. The full side-by-side comparison is on PIP vs Attendance Allowance.
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Work Out Which Rate You Could Get
The Attendance Allowance rate follows three checks on your care needs, taken from the GOV.UK rate descriptions.
- Nearing the end of life: a medical professional has said you might have 12 months or less to live. This pays the higher rate of £114.60 a week under the special rules, with form SR1 and no face-to-face assessment.
- Help or supervision throughout both day and night. This pays the higher rate of £114.60 a week.
- Frequent help or constant supervision during the day, or supervision at night. This pays the lower rate of £76.70 a week.
Outside the special rules, you must have needed the help for at least 6 months. You can work out your Attendance Allowance rate by answering the same checks. Under State Pension age the benefit is PIP, and you can work out your PIP rates from the award you expect.
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