The AA1 form, question by question - written for you or for someone you care for, in the words the DWP decision maker needs to see.
Attendance Allowance is the DWP benefit for people over State Pension age who need help or supervision because of a physical or mental health condition. It is not means-tested and it is tax-free - what you earn or have saved does not affect it, and you do not usually need to have paid National Insurance. It does not cover mobility needs, and there is no medical assessment as standard: the decision is made from your claim form and the evidence you send, which is why the form matters so much.
The form asks about your care needs question by question: getting in and out of bed, washing, dressing, moving indoors, falls, eating, medicines, communication, supervision - then the night questions, with how many times a night and how long each time. Needing help by day AND night is what separates the higher rate from the lower one, and nights are what people describe least, because nobody sees them.
Before you start, three guides worth ten minutes: how to claim and protect your start date, why the night questions decide the rate, and the extra Pension Credit an award can unlock. Free tools, no sign-up: the two-minute which-rate check, the printable Care Needs Diary and the annual value calculator.
Expect a text or letter within about 3 weeks of the form arriving, stating when the decision will come. Most claims are decided from the papers, with no assessment - and awards are paid from your claim date, so waiting never reduces the money. Full picture: how long a decision takes.
Help or supervision needed by day OR night points to the lower rate; day AND night to the higher. The night questions decide about £1,970 a year - see why nights decide, or run the two-minute check.
No means test: savings, pensions and income are irrelevant, and the award is tax-free. It reduces nothing you already get - and can increase Pension Credit, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction.
Ask for a mandatory reconsideration within one month - a fresh decision maker looks again, and a successful challenge pays back to the original date. Our challenge guide covers the letter to write.
Answer simple questions about the help needed by day and by night - we write every care answer, ready to copy onto the form.
Start with one free question →