How to Claim Attendance Allowance: Phone, Online and Paper Routes

Why the Route You Choose Matters

Attendance Allowance cannot be backdated before your formal claim date. That makes the moment you start the process financially significant — every week between when you could have claimed and when you actually did is money you cannot recover. The three application routes each set your claim date differently, and one of them gives you a built-in safety net the others do not.

Route 1: Phone the Helpline (Recommended)

If you live in England or Wales, call the DWP Attendance Allowance helpline on 0800 731 0122. In Northern Ireland, call the Department for Communities on 0800 587 0912 or email it to request a form. The date of your call or email request is treated as your claim date if you return the form within six weeks.

You then have six weeks from your request to complete and return the form. As long as it arrives back within that window, your claim date is protected as the date you called or emailed — not the date the form lands at the benefit office.

This is the safest route because it gives you six weeks to gather evidence, talk to the claimant's GP, and work through the form carefully, without losing a single day of potential entitlement.

DWP helpline hours: Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. Textphone: 0800 731 0317. Relay UK: 18001 then 0800 731 0122.

Route 2: Apply Online via GOV.UK

You can submit an Attendance Allowance application through the GOV.UK portal. Your claim date is the exact date you complete and submit the online form.

The online route is faster in one sense — no waiting for a paper form in the post — but it has constraints. The portal has daily submission caps, and it does not offer a universal save-and-return function across all sections. If you start the form online but cannot finish it in one sitting, you risk losing your work or having to start again.

For Northern Ireland, the NI Direct portal can accept online applications, and an Enduring Power of Attorney or Appointee can use the NI service on behalf of the claimant.

Route 3: Download and Post the Paper Form

You can download a blank AA1 form from GOV.UK and post it to Freepost DWP Attendance Allowance. Your claim date is the date the completed form is received by the DWP — not the date you downloaded it, printed it, or put it in the post.

This means you get no date protection while you are filling the form in. If it takes you three weeks to complete and a few days in the post, your claim date is three weeks later than it would have been if you had phoned first.

Which Route to Choose

For most people, phoning the helpline and then completing the posted form is the strongest option. You lock in your claim date immediately and get six full weeks to do the form properly. If you are helping an older parent and need time to collect evidence from their GP or occupational therapist, those six weeks are valuable.

The online route suits people who have all their information ready, can complete the form in one session, and do not need the date protection buffer.

Downloading and posting should be a last resort — it is the only route where your claim date slips with every day you spend on the form.

What Happens After You Submit

The DWP's Attendance Allowance Unit reviews your form and any supporting evidence. Most decisions are made on paper alone — independent medical assessments are uncommon. Processing times vary, but you should expect several weeks. If you have not heard back after eight weeks, call the helpline to check progress.

The DWP says you will get a text or letter within three weeks of sending your claim to explain when you can expect a decision. In Northern Ireland, the Disability and Carers Service normally takes 30 working days to process a claim from the day it receives the form.

The Attendance Allowance Claim Guide walks through the full claim process from first phone call to decision letter, including what to send with the form and how to protect your claim date.

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