Attendance Allowance Rates 2026/27: Lower and Higher Rate Explained

The Two Rates for 2026/27

Attendance Allowance pays at one of two fixed weekly rates. Which rate you receive depends on whether your care needs apply during the day only, the night only, or both.

These rates took effect on 6 April 2026 and run through to April 2027, reflecting a 3.8% increase linked to the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) from the previous September.

What Decides Your Rate

Lower Rate — You meet either the Day Condition or the Night Condition, but not both. This means you need frequent help with personal care during the day (washing, dressing, eating, toileting, medication, moving around) or continual daytime supervision to stay safe, or you need prolonged or repeated help during the night or someone awake to watch over you — but the decision maker found only one of those two applies.

Higher Rate — You meet both the Day Condition and the Night Condition. Or, you have claimed under the Special Rules for End of Life, which automatically qualifies you for the Higher Rate regardless of your actual day-by-day care pattern.

There is no middle ground — no partial rate between the two, and no third rate. If the DWP finds you do not meet either condition, the claim is disallowed entirely.

How Payments Work

Attendance Allowance is paid four-weekly in arrears, directly into your bank or building society account. It is entirely tax-free and is not counted as income for any means-tested benefit, so receiving it cannot reduce your Pension Credit, Housing Benefit or Council Tax support.

Your first payment usually includes arrears back to your protected claim date — the date you phoned the Attendance Allowance helpline or submitted your application, not the date the decision was made. If that gap was several weeks, the first payment can be noticeably larger than the regular four-weekly amount.

Why the Higher Rate Matters Beyond the Extra £37.90

The difference between £76.70 and £114.60 a week is significant on its own, but the Higher Rate also strengthens linked entitlements elsewhere in the benefits system. For example, an unpaid carer looking after someone on either rate can claim Carer's Allowance — but the household arithmetic around the Severe Disability Addition in Pension Credit is identical regardless of the AA rate. Where the Higher Rate makes the biggest difference is in the total income available to cover genuine care costs that the statutory system does not fully fund.

If You Received the Lower Rate but Expected Higher

If your decision letter awards the Lower Rate and you believe you described both day and night needs on the form, read the letter carefully. It should explain which condition was not met. Common reasons include: night needs were mentioned but described as infrequent (the night test requires prolonged or repeated attention), or daytime supervision was described in terms that sounded like companionship rather than safety.

You have one month from the date on the decision letter to request a Mandatory Reconsideration. New evidence — a GP letter confirming night-time care, a carer's statement detailing overnight disruption patterns, or a care diary covering a full week of nights — can shift the outcome.

The Attendance Allowance Claim Guide explains the rate criteria in detail and includes worksheets for logging both day and night care needs before you complete the AA1 form.

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