Attendance Allowance Claim Date: How Backdating Works and the Six-Week Return Rule

Attendance Allowance cannot be backdated before your official claim date. That makes the claim date the most important administrative detail in the whole process — it determines how far back your first payment reaches and how much you receive in arrears. Getting it wrong can cost hundreds of pounds.

Three Claim Routes, Three Different Dates

How you start your claim determines when your entitlement begins:

Phone the helpline (recommended): Call the Attendance Allowance helpline on 0800 731 0122. DWP logs the date of your call and sends you a personalised AA1 form stamped with that date. If you return the completed form within six weeks, your claim date is the date of the phone call — not the date you posted it back.

Apply online via GOV.UK: Your claim date is the date you submit the online form. There is no six-week grace period because submission is instant. However, the online portal has daily application limits, and it does not offer a universal save-and-return function across all sections — if you cannot complete it in one session, you may lose your progress.

Download and post the paper form: If you download a blank AA1 from GOV.UK and post it in, your claim date is the date DWP receives the form — not the date you downloaded it, and not the date you posted it. Postal delays eat directly into your entitlement.

Why the Phone Call Matters

The phone-first route is the safest option for most families. You secure the earliest possible claim date immediately, then you have a full six weeks to gather evidence, fill in the form carefully, and post it back. Many claims involve an adult child helping an older parent — that six weeks gives you time to visit, discuss care needs, collect GP letters, and write a care diary without rushing.

If you phone on 1 September and return the form on 10 October (within six weeks), your claim date is 1 September. Any award is calculated from that date, and you receive arrears back to it.

If you phone on 1 September but do not return the form until 15 October (after six weeks), DWP will normally treat the claim as made on 15 October. The Secretary of State may allow a longer return period if it is considered reasonable.

What Counts as "Returned Within Six Weeks"

Normally, the form must be received by DWP within six weeks, though a longer period may be allowed if the Secretary of State considers it reasonable. It is not enough to post it within six weeks — postal transit time counts. If the deadline falls on a tight date, consider sending it by tracked or recorded delivery so you have proof of when it arrived.

For England and Wales, return the form to Freepost DWP (Department for Work and Pensions) Attendance Allowance. For Northern Ireland, post it to Disability and Carers Service, Mail Handling Site A, Wolverhampton WV98 2JS, or hand it in at your local Jobs and Benefits office.

Can You Backdate Further?

No. Unlike some means-tested benefits, Attendance Allowance has no provision for backdating before the formal claim date. If your parent needed help for three years before anyone thought to claim, entitlement begins from the date you contact DWP — not from when the needs started. The six-month qualifying period (care needs must have existed for six months) still applies, but the award itself cannot reach back before the claim date.

This is why it is worth phoning the helpline early, even if you are not ready to fill in the form yet. The call locks in the date. You then have six weeks to prepare everything properly.

Northern Ireland

The same principle applies. Phone 0800 587 0912 to start a claim with the Department for Communities. A date-stamped form is posted to you, and you have six weeks to return it.

Getting It Right

A well-timed phone call is the simplest way to protect your claim date. Our Attendance Allowance Claim Guide includes a step-by-step process timeline that maps the phone call, form return deadline, evidence gathering, and follow-up — so nothing slips past the six-week window.

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