Attendance Allowance is now Pension Age Disability Payment
If you have been reading advice written for England, you will see Attendance Allowance everywhere. In Scotland it has been replaced by Pension Age Disability Payment, delivered by Social Security Scotland rather than the Department for Work and Pensions. The purpose is the same: extra money for people over State Pension age who need help or supervision because of a disability or long-term health condition.
- People who already received Attendance Allowance were transferred across automatically. Nobody had to reapply.
- New claims in Scotland are made to Social Security Scotland for Pension Age Disability Payment.
- You cannot receive both payments at the same time.
- The money is yours to spend as you see fit. There is no requirement to spend it on care, and no receipts to keep.
Who can claim, and what counts as needing help
You can claim if you have reached State Pension age and have care needs because of a disability or a health condition, physical or mental. You do not need to have a carer, and you do not need to be receiving any help at the moment. What matters is the help you reasonably need, not the help you happen to get.
There is normally a qualifying period: you need to have had the care needs for at least six months before payment starts, although you can apply before that period is up. People who are terminally ill are fast-tracked and automatically receive the higher rate.
- Help during the day can mean prompting or supervision with washing, dressing, eating, taking medication, getting in and out of a chair, or staying safe around the house.
- Help at night can mean help to get to the toilet, repositioning, or someone needing to check on the person because of falls, confusion or distress.
- Supervision counts even where no physical help is given. Someone who needs watching because they might leave the cooker on or wander outside has a genuine need.
- Needs caused by memory problems, dementia, anxiety and sensory loss count in exactly the same way as physical needs.
What happens when someone moves into a care home
This is the part families most need to get right, and it turns on one question: who is paying for the care.
| Situation | What normally happens to the payment |
|---|---|
| Self-funding the full care home fee | The payment continues. Being in a care home does not end it. |
| Care costs met from public funds | The payment usually stops after 28 days in the care home. |
| Mixed weeks in and out of a home (respite) | Days can be linked together, so short stays add up towards the 28 days. |
| Council funding begins part-way through a stay | The payment stops once care costs are being met publicly, so tell Social Security Scotland straight away. |
| Terminally ill and self-funding | The higher rate continues on the same basis as any other self-funder. |
General guidance only, and individual circumstances vary. Free Personal and Nursing Care is treated as care costs met from public funds, so it can affect entitlement. Always report a move into a care home rather than waiting to be asked, and check your own position with Social Security Scotland.
Report changes promptly. Overpayments are recoverable, and a letter asking for months of money back is the last thing a family needs while they are settling a relative into a new home. A short phone call at the point of the move avoids it entirely.
How to claim, step by step
- 01Contact Social Security Scotland to start an application. You can apply online, by phone, by post or with help in person.
- 02Gather the details before you start: GP and consultant contacts, current medication, hospital admissions and any recent assessments.
- 03Keep a diary for a week before you fill the form in. Note every time help was needed, day and night, and how long it took. Real examples are far more persuasive than general statements.
- 04Answer for the whole picture, including the nights. Night-time need is the difference between the two rates and it is often under-reported.
- 05Ask a carer, relative or support worker to read the form before it goes. People consistently understate their own needs.
- 06Keep a copy of everything you send, and note the date. If the decision is not what you expected, you can ask for a redetermination and then appeal.
What else it can unlock
Pension Age Disability Payment is not means-tested and is not taxable, and it can act as a gateway to other help. Being awarded it may increase Pension Credit, Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction, and it may allow a family carer to claim Carer Support Payment. It can also make a real difference to whether someone can stay at home for longer.
It does not affect Free Personal and Nursing Care, which is assessed on care needs rather than on benefits. Read our Free Personal and Nursing Care guide for how that side of the system works.