Attendance Allowance offers extra £4,660 a year – eligibility explained | Personal Finance | Finance
State pension claimants with a serious physical or mental disability could be eligible for Attendance Allowance from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). This extra financial help could be worth £388 a month and it may be a lifeline to people struggling financially.
Attendance Allowance is money for people of state pension age who have care needs because of a physical or mental disability.
While £15billion goes unclaimed in benefits every year, poverty charity Turn2Us said there has never been a better time to check that people are receiving all the benefits they are entitled to.
Almost three and a half (3.4) million pensioners are missing out on Attendance Allowance which could help them meet extra costs that come from having a disability.
Depending on the level of care required claimants could receive £60 or £89.60 a week to help with their care.
Who can claim Attendance Allowance?
- Pensioners who are physically or mentally disabled
- As long as they have reached the state pension age of 66
- People who have needed help for at least six months, unless they are terminally ill.
In addition, nearly half a million Britons are estimated to be missing out on Carer’s Allowance which could be worth up to £3,515 a year.
Carer’s Allowance can be claimed by anyone who is looking after someone for 35 hours a week or more.
Their earnings must be £128 or less a week after tax and National Insurance.
To qualify for Carer’s Allowance the person they are caring for must also be claiming PIP, Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance or Child Disability Payment.
