State pensioners with certain health conditions can get up to £114.60 per week from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in May following a payment change.
The DWP uprated a swathe of benefits on April 6 and May will be the first month of the new tax year to fully benefit from the uplifts. Among the recently uprated benefits is Attendance Allowance which can be claimed by people of State Pension age who require a certain level of care to help with extra living costs. The benefit is paid at two different rates and the amount you get depends on the level of care you need. Both the lower and higher rate increased by 3.8% from April 6, based on the September 2026 CPI inflation rate, meaning claimants now benefit from an extra boost of cash.
The lower rate is now worth £76.70 per week, up from £73.90, and the higher rate is worth £114.60 per week, up from £110.40 previously. As such, those with the most severe conditions that require the highest level of care will get an extra £4.20 per week, or an additional £218.40 per year under the new rates.
If you have a less severe condition and only qualify for the lower rate, the 3.8% uplift will give you an extra £2.80 per week, or an additional £145.60 per year.
Because the new tax year begins on April 6, pensioners don’t actually get a full month on the new rates until May. For example, if your Attendance Allowance was paid between April 1 and April 6, you won’t have received the new higher rate, but every payment in May will be at the new amounts, allowing pensioners to fully benefit from the 3.8% boost.
Attendance Allowance is paid every four weeks to those who are eligible in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, but if you live in Scotland you will need to apply for Pension Age Disability Payment (PADP) instead which is paid at exactly the same rate.
The lower rate of both Attendance Allowance and PADP is given to those who need frequent help or constant supervision during the day or at night, while the higher rate is given to those who need help or supervision throughout the day and night, or if a medical professional has said you’re nearing the end of life.
To be eligible for either Attendance Allowance or PADP you must have reached State Pension age AND all of the following apply:
- you have a physical disability, a mental disability, or a health condition
- your disability or health condition is severe enough for you to need help caring for yourself or someone to supervise you, for your own or someone else’s safety
- you have needed that help for at least six months
While there isn’t a definitive list of health conditions that qualify for Attendance Allowance and PADP, the DWP does have a list of 56 main disabling conditions recorded on its Disability Living Allowance computer system.
If you have one of these conditions you may be likely to qualify for a payment of up to £114.60 per week, but it is important to note that this is not a checklist for qualifying for Attendance Allowance or PAPD, it is simply an overview of the type of conditions that are being supported.