All about Attendance Allowance

Attendance Allowance (AA)

Rates
The lower rate of AA for April 2012 to March 2013 is paid at £51.85 a week.
The higher rate of AA for April 2012 to March 2013 is paid at £77.45 a week.

Who qualifies for AA?
To qualify for AA you must:

• be 65 or over, and
• satisfy one or more of the daytime or night-time tests (see below), or have a terminal illness. Special rules also apply for some patients undergoing renal dialysis, and 
• have satisfied a daytime or night-time test for at least 6 months (unless you have a terminal illness), and
• have no immigration conditions attached to your stay in the UK (subject to some exceptions), and
• have been in the UK for at least 26 of the last 52 weeks (unless you are applying under the special rules for people with a terminal illness)

Some people can be treated as having been in the UK whilst abroad, eg service personnel and some people from European Economic Area states.

The daytime and night-time tests

The daytime and night-time tests for AA are the same as for the middle and highest rates of the care component of DLA. If you satisfy a day-time or a night-time test you get the lower rate of AA. If you satisfy a daytime and a night-time test, you get the higher rate of AA. Alternatively, you will get the higher rate if you are terminally ill. A terminal illness is one that may result in death in the next six months.