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Help with Attendance Allowance in Northern Ireland

The same AA1 form, run by the Department for Communities - written for you, with the Northern Ireland contacts and routes throughout.

Attendance Allowance in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland has Attendance Allowance too - the same benefit and the same AA1 form, run by the Department for Communities through its Disability and Carers Service rather than the DWP. The rates, the day-and-night test and the care questions are identical; what differs is who you contact and where the form goes.

Same rates as Great Britain£76.70 lower rate, £114.60 higher rate. Not means-tested, tax-free.
Claim through nidirectPhone the Disability and Carers Service on 0800 587 0912 (Mon to Fri, 9am to 4pm), email dcs.forms@dfcni.gov.uk for a claim pack, or apply online.
Protect your start dateThe date of your call or email counts as your date of claim, as long as the form goes back within 6 weeks.
Challenging a decisionAsk for a Mandatory Reconsideration first, then appeal to the Appeals Service within one month of the MR notice.
Where the form goes: DfC Attendance Allowance, Mail Handling Site A, Wolverhampton WV98 2JS - yes, the Northern Ireland form is processed through a Wolverhampton mail centre. You can also hand it in at your nearest Jobs and Benefits office.

The AA1 asks the same care questions as in England and Wales - days, nights, falls, supervision - and our answers work for it exactly the same, with the Northern Ireland contacts and routes where they differ.

Worth reading first: how the claim works, the full Northern Ireland guide and the AA1 form section by section. Free tools, no sign-up: the two-minute which-rate check, the printable Care Needs Diary and the annual value calculator - the form and rates are identical in NI.

Quick answers

Is the form different in Northern Ireland?

No - the same AA1 form, questions and rates. Only the administration changes: the Disability and Carers Service runs it (0800 587 0912, or dcs.forms@dfcni.gov.uk for the pack). Our walkthrough applies without translation.

Does the phone call protect my claim date in NI?

Yes - contact the Disability and Carers Service for the pack and the claim starts from that contact, provided the form returns within 6 weeks. It can also be handed in at any Jobs and Benefits office. Full playbook: the NI guide.

Where do I send the form - and why is the address in England?

DfC Attendance Allowance, Mail Handling Site A, Wolverhampton WV98 2JS - a mail-processing site; the claim itself is administered in Northern Ireland. Yes, really - post it without a second thought.

What if the decision is wrong?

Ask for a mandatory reconsideration (form MR2(NI)) within one month, then appeal to the Appeals Service (form NOA1 (SS)) within a month of the notice. The approach in our challenge guide transfers wholesale.

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Answer simple questions about the help needed by day and by night - we write every care answer, ready to copy onto the form.

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