Attendance Allowance
Attendance Allowance (AA) is a tax-free benefit you may get if you're aged 65 or over and need help with personal care because you're physically or mentally disabled.
The information in this section is a guide only. The office dealing with your claim can answer any questions you may have about claiming and getting Attendance Allowance.
Who can get Attendance Allowance?
You may get Attendance Allowance if any of the following apply:
* you have a physical or mental disability, or both
* your disability is severe enough for you to need help caring for yourself
* you're aged 65 or over when you claim
If you're under age 65, you may get Disability Living Allowance.
Attendance Allowance isn't usually affected by any savings or income you may have.
Special rules - if you're terminally ill
If you have a progressive disease and aren't expected to live for more than another six months there are special rules to help you get the benefit quickly and easily.
Effect on other benefits and entitlements
If you start to get Attendance Allowance, it might increase the amount of other benefits and financial support you're entitled to.
You may get an extra amount for severe disability with:
* Housing Benefit
* Council Tax Benefit
* Pension Credit
Attendance Allowance is normally ignored as income for working out income-related benefits and other entitlements.
How to claim
Claim straight away - you may lose benefit.
You can claim online by visiting the Benefits online service or get a claim pack by:
A) Calling the Benefit Enquiry Line
This is a confidential freephone service for disabled people and carers. You can call the Benefit Enquiry Line and ask them to send you a claim pack. They can send you the claim pack in an alternative format if required - for example, Braille.
They can also arrange for someone to help you fill out the form if required. Please note that the person you speak to may need to arrange for someone to phone you back.
Telephone: 0800 88 22 00
Textphone: 0800 24 33 55
You can also use the RNID Typetalk service.
The Benefit Enquiry Line is open from 8.30 am to 6.30 pm Monday to Friday and from 9.00 am to 1.00 pm on Saturday.
If you request a claim pack from the Benefit Enquiry Line, the date of your phone call will be treated as your date of claim from which Attendance Allowance can be paid, as long as you send your form back within six weeks of that date. If you delay making a claim, you may lose out on benefit.
B) Download a form to print at home
You can also download a claim form to print off and fill in using a pen or complete the form on your computer and print off. The form comes with notes that will help you fill it in and tell you where to send it. We will treat the day we get your form back as the date of your claim.
If you are going to complete the form on your computer, we recommend that you save the form on your computer before completing it: to do this simply right click with your mouse on the link below and choose the 'Save Target As' option. You cannot save the form once you've opened it in an internet browser.
Once you have filled in the form, you can print and sign it.
* Download the Attendance Allowance claim form (PDF document, 194K) 
* Download the on-screen Attendance Allowance claim form (PDF document, 1.2MB)
For further information on Attendance Allowance please visit www.direct.gov.uk
Source: www.direct.gov.uk
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