Martin Lewis’ Money Saving Expert team has highlighted a potential loss for over a million pensioners, who might be missing out on an additional £5,644 a year. This is due to lack of awareness around eligibility for Attendance Allowance, a non-means-tested benefit for individuals with long-term health issues or disabilities.
The lower rate of this allowance is £72.65 weekly (equivalent to an yearly amount of £3,778), whilst the higher rate stands at £108.55 per week (totalling to roughly £5,644 annually), with payment made every four weeks (£290.60 or £434.20, respectively). Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) statistics as of February 2024 indicate that more than 1.6 million people over the State Pension age currently receive this benefit.
One subscriber recounted their experience to Martin Lewis, saying: “I applied for Attendance Allowance for my husband and today the first payment was made (even before a letter arrived telling us! ). He’s entitled to the upper limit, which is even more than we could’ve hoped for.” Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox.
Christine expressed her thanks, saying: “At the same time, I optimistically applied for a blue badge for him too and again, confirmation of this being approved arrived today! Without the advice on the MSE email we would not have even been aware of being eligible. THANK YOU MSE team.”
Valerie also conveyed her gratitude, saying: “My father has dementia and is now needing more support due to severe mental impairment. I applied for a council tax reduction as he’s in receipt of Attendance Allowance. The council phoned me back the next working day and, in less than a fortnight, the council tax was stopped and he was refunded £2,600,” reports Wales Online.
Rachel added: “My father received the daytime rate, which has made a huge difference to him and enabled him to have help at home. And because he was entitled to this benefit, he also was entitled to a higher rate of housing and council tax benefit, meaning this year he does not need to pay a penny for his council tax bill and only £5 a week towards his rent. It has made a huge difference to his finances and he now worries less about his other bills.”
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