The short answer
- Attendance Allowance comes firstIt is not means-tested, so your parent can claim it with savings in the bank. It pays £76.70 or £114.60 a week in 2026/27.
- Then check Pension Credit againAn Attendance Allowance award can add £86.05 a week to Pension Credit, and can bring a parent who was just over the line into it.
- Council tax help has to be asked forA parent living alone gets 25% off. A dementia diagnosis can take the bill away altogether. The council will not apply either unless you ask.
- Carer's Allowance can cost your parent moneyIf a relative claims it, your parent usually loses the severe disability extra in their Pension Credit. Get a benefits check before anyone claims.
This page covers England and Wales. In Scotland new claims for Attendance Allowance are made as Pension Age Disability Payment and Carer's Allowance has been replaced by Carer Support Payment. Northern Ireland has rates rather than council tax and its own benefits offices, so some detail differs there.
The short answer
The benefits to check, in the order to claim them
Work down this list before you agree to pay for anything yourself. The order matters, because the first award can raise the second.
Before you pay for care: 2026/27
0 of 8 ticked
For your parent
For the relative who does the caring
Rates are from the GOV.UK table of benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027, confirmed on 16 February 2026, and apply to the tax year April 2026 to April 2027. They usually change each April.
Attendance Allowance
Attendance Allowance is paid whatever your parent has in savings
This is the one most families leave on the table. It is not a pension top-up for people with little money. It is paid for needing help, and your parent can spend it on anything, including the carer you are about to pay for.
| Who it is for | Weekly rate, 2026/27 | |
|---|---|---|
| Lower rate | Frequent help or constant supervision during the day, or supervision at night | £76.70 |
| Higher rate | Help or supervision throughout both day and night, or a doctor or nurse has said they are nearing the end of life | £114.60 |
Lower rate
- Who it is for
- Frequent help or constant supervision during the day, or supervision at night
- Weekly rate, 2026/27
- £76.70
Higher rate
- Who it is for
- Help or supervision throughout both day and night, or a doctor or nurse has said they are nearing the end of life
- Weekly rate, 2026/27
- £114.60
Source: GOV.UK, Attendance Allowance: what you'll get, and the 2026 to 2027 rates table. Read November 2026.
Your parent can get it once they have reached State Pension age and have needed help with personal care or supervision for at least 6 months, according to the GOV.UK eligibility rules. They do not need to have a carer already. If they live in a care home paid for by the council it usually stops, but it carries on while they live at home and pay for their own care.
Payment starts from the date of the claim, so do not wait. Your parent can claim online or on the paper form, or ring the Attendance Allowance helpline on 0800 731 0122, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm (how to claim on GOV.UK). If you ring for the form, the claim dates from the call as long as the form goes back within 6 weeks.
Attendance Allowance: who qualifies and how to claim goes through the form question by question, including how to describe a bad day.
Pension Credit
Pension Credit, and why to check it again after Attendance Allowance
Pension Credit tops up a low income over State Pension age. In 2026/27 it lifts weekly income to £238.00 for a single person or £363.25 for a couple.
A higher weekly amount with Attendance Allowance
Council Tax Reduction
NHS dental treatment, glasses and hospital travel
Help with heating
The amounts and the extras are on GOV.UK under Pension Credit: what you'll get and the Pension Credit overview. There is also a carer addition of £48.15 a week for a Pension Credit claimant who gets Carer's Allowance, which matters when one parent cares for the other.
Council tax
The council tax discounts a parent can ask for
None of these is applied automatically. Your parent, or you on their behalf with their agreement or a power of attorney, has to write to or ring the council.
| Who it is for | What comes off | |
|---|---|---|
| Single person discount | A parent who lives on their own | 25% |
| Severe mental impairment disregard | Dementia or a similar condition, with a doctor's certificate and a qualifying benefit such as Attendance Allowance | 100% if they live alone, otherwise 25% or 50% |
| Disabled band reduction | A home with an extra bathroom, kitchen or room, or extra space for a wheelchair, needed because of a disability | Charged one band lower, or 17% off in band A |
| Council Tax Reduction | A parent on a low income, with the rules set by each council | Up to the whole bill |
Single person discount
- Who it is for
- A parent who lives on their own
- What comes off
- 25%
Severe mental impairment disregard
- Who it is for
- Dementia or a similar condition, with a doctor's certificate and a qualifying benefit such as Attendance Allowance
- What comes off
- 100% if they live alone, otherwise 25% or 50%
Disabled band reduction
- Who it is for
- A home with an extra bathroom, kitchen or room, or extra space for a wheelchair, needed because of a disability
- What comes off
- Charged one band lower, or 17% off in band A
Council Tax Reduction
- Who it is for
- A parent on a low income, with the rules set by each council
- What comes off
- Up to the whole bill
Sources: GOV.UK, Council Tax: who has to pay, discounts for disabled people, and Council Tax Reduction. Read November 2026.
The discount rules are on GOV.UK pages for who has to pay, discounts for disabled people and Council Tax Reduction. Each one is a separate request, and the council needs evidence for the disability ones, so send the doctor's certificate or the Attendance Allowance award letter with the claim.
Council tax, VAT relief, Pension Credit and grants covers backdating, the disregard for a relative who lives in and cares 35 hours a week, and VAT relief on equipment in more detail.
If a relative does the caring
Carer's Allowance for the relative, and the catch to check first
If you, a brother or sister, or your other parent cares for 35 hours a week or more, that person may get Carer's Allowance of £86.45 a week in 2026/27. Check the effect on your parent before anyone claims.
- 1
Check the carer qualifies
35 hours a weekAt least 35 hours of caring a week, earnings of £204 a week or less after tax, National Insurance and expenses, and your parent getting a qualifying benefit such as Attendance Allowance. - 2
Check what your parent would lose
Before claimingOnce someone gets Carer's Allowance for looking after your parent, your parent usually loses the £86.05 severe disability extra in their Pension Credit, and their Council Tax Reduction may change. - 3
Check the carer's own State Pension
If they are over pension ageA carer whose State Pension is £86.45 a week or more will not be paid Carer's Allowance. The claim can still be worth making, because it can unlock the Pension Credit carer addition. - 4
Get a free benefits check, then decide
One callA local Age UK, Citizens Advice or the council welfare rights team can work out whether the household ends up better or worse off.
The rules are on GOV.UK under Carer's Allowance eligibility and effect on other benefits. GOV.UK says the carer's own total benefits will usually go up or stay the same. The loss falls on the person being cared for, which is why families who claim without checking can end up with less coming in overall.
Carer's Allowance: what it is and how to get it covers the earnings limit and how to claim.
What it adds up to
What Attendance Allowance pays for in care hours
Carers on PrimeCarers charge £19.47 an hour typically, with our fee included. At that rate Attendance Allowance on its own covers this much care each week.
About 4 hours
of visits a week from the lower rate of £76.70
About 6 hours
of visits a week from the higher rate of £114.60
Attendance Allowance 2026/27 rates from GOV.UK. Hours at the typical PrimeCarers hourly rate of £19.47, fee included. Rates on the platform run from £18 to £25 an hour.
That is enough for a short visit most days, paid for by the benefit rather than by you. Anything you agree to pay on top is then a smaller, clearer sum to share out with brothers and sisters. How many visits a week does my parent need? works out the hours from the tasks.
If your parent's savings are above £23,250 in England, they pay for their own care, but Attendance Allowance is still paid. Below that figure, ask the council for a care needs assessment as well.
PrimeCarers is an introductory platform, not an agency, and the carers on it are self-employed. Before a carer's profile appears we check their ID and right to work, confirm an enhanced DBS check (or PVG in Scotland, Access NI in Northern Ireland) issued within the last 2 years, and interview them online. We do not check references, qualifications or training, so ask about experience at interview and read the references and reviews on their profile.
Questions
Questions about benefits for an elderly parent
Check Attendance Allowance first (£76.70 or £114.60 a week in 2026/27, whatever their savings), then Pension Credit, then council tax discounts and Council Tax Reduction. If a relative does 35 hours or more of caring a week, they may get Carer's Allowance of £86.45, but get a benefits check first.
No. Attendance Allowance is based on the help your parent needs, not on their income or savings. It can stop if the council starts paying for a care home place.
You can fill in the forms with them and make phone calls with their permission. If your parent cannot manage their own affairs, you can ask the DWP to make you their appointee, which lets you deal with their benefits. A registered lasting power of attorney for property and financial affairs also lets you deal with their money.
GOV.UK says your parent will get a text or letter within 3 weeks of claiming, telling them when to expect a decision. Payment is worked out from the date of the claim. If a doctor or nurse has said your parent is nearing the end of life, there are separate rules and the claim is dealt with faster, at the higher rate.