Is Attendance Allowance means tested? No. What you earn and what you have in savings do not affect whether you get it or how much you receive, and there is no capital limit to worry about.
That single fact stops more people claiming than any other misunderstanding we come across. Families assume that because a parent owns their home, or has money set aside, there is no point applying.
Attendance Allowance is assessed on the help a person needs, not on what they have. This article explains what that means in practice, what is and is not taken into account, and what the benefit can unlock once it is in payment.
Is Attendance Allowance means tested at all, and what does that mean here?
It means the Department for Work and Pensions does not look at income, savings, investments or property when deciding a claim. GOV.UK states it plainly: Attendance Allowance is not means tested, and what you earn or how much you have in savings will not affect what you get.
There is no financial assessment, no bank statements to send and no threshold above which a claim fails. A person with a paid-off house in Harpenden and a person renting in Hatfield are assessed the same way.
The test is entirely about care needs. Whether anyone is currently providing that help does not matter either, which is the second thing families regularly get wrong.
Who can claim Attendance Allowance?
You can claim if you have reached State Pension age and a physical disability, a mental disability including learning difficulties, or a health condition means you need help caring for yourself, or someone to supervise you for your own or someone else's safety. You must have needed that help for at least six months.
There are separate, faster rules for anyone nearing the end of life, who may be able to get it more quickly and at the higher rate.
Two exclusions catch people out. You cannot usually get Attendance Allowance if you live in a care home and the local authority pays for your care, although you can still claim if you fund the care home yourself. And you cannot get it at the same time as Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment or Armed Forces Independence Payment. In Scotland, Pension Age Disability Payment applies instead.
Is the money taxed or counted against other benefits?
Attendance Allowance is paid weekly at one of two rates and is not taxable. It is also not counted as income for the benefits that matter most to older people.
In fact it usually works the other way. GOV.UK notes that getting Attendance Allowance could mean extra Pension Credit, Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction, so a successful claim can increase other entitlements rather than reduce them.
It can also be the qualifying benefit for a council tax disregard where someone has a severe and permanent cognitive impairment certified by a doctor, which for a person living alone can mean no council tax at all. Alzheimer's Society sets out how that works.
Who helps you claim Attendance Allowance in Hertfordshire?
The form is long and the questions are about a bad day rather than an average one, which is why so many claims that should succeed do not. Help is free and local.
Hertfordshire County Council runs a Money Advice Unit, whose benefits guides include a factsheet on Attendance Allowance covering who can claim, how much, how to claim and how it affects other benefits. Age UK Hertfordshire and Citizens Advice also help people complete the form.
In our experience the single most useful preparation is a fortnight of notes. Write down what actually happened each day and night, including the days nobody had to help, because the decision maker is looking at a pattern rather than a good week.
Which council handles the council tax side in Hertfordshire?
Not the county council. Hertfordshire County Council states plainly that you contact your district or borough council for Council Tax discounts and exemptions, and that is where the severe mental impairment disregard is decided.
That matters because the process is different in each district. St Albans City and District Council, Dacorum Borough Council, Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, East Herts, North Herts and Hertsmere each run their own form and their own doctor's certificate. East Herts asks for its own form with a doctor's certificate attached; Welwyn Hatfield asks anyone moving into the borough with an existing certificate from another council to send a copy to its Council Tax team.
So a family moving a parent from St Albans to Welwyn Garden City, which happens often when children want them closer, does not carry the disregard across automatically. It has to be claimed again with the new council. Nobody tells you that, and we have seen it cost families several months of billing.
Where does a means test come in for care in Hertfordshire?
At a different door entirely. If you ask Hertfordshire County Council to fund care, it carries out a financial assessment alongside the care needs assessment, and that is where capital and income are counted.
The two processes are separate. Anyone can request a free care needs assessment regardless of savings, and a family can claim Attendance Allowance and arrange care privately without ever entering the council funding route. Our piece on what happens after a care needs assessment in Hertfordshire explains where the financial assessment sits.
What does the money actually pay for?
Nothing in particular, and that is deliberate. Attendance Allowance is not tied to receipts and nobody checks how it is spent, so it can go towards care visits, a cleaner, taxis, a personal alarm, heating, or simply the cost of managing a household when things take longer than they did.
Most families we support in Hertfordshire put it towards care at home. Visiting care with us starts from £34 an hour, VAT exempt, so the higher rate covers a meaningful share of two or three visits a week. Our guide to Attendance Allowance explains the two rates, the form and how a claim is assessed.
Because it is not means tested, it is often the first money a self-funding family receives, and it arrives without a financial assessment attached.
Common Questions About Attendance Allowance and Means Testing in Hertfordshire
Is Attendance Allowance means tested if you have savings?
No. There is no savings limit and no capital threshold. GOV.UK confirms that what you earn or how much you have in savings will not affect what you get, because the benefit is assessed on the help you need rather than on your finances.
Does owning your home affect an Attendance Allowance claim?
No. Property is not taken into account. Owning a home is relevant to a council financial assessment for funded care, which is a separate process, but it has no bearing on Attendance Allowance.
Is Attendance Allowance taxable or counted as income?
It is not taxable, and it is not counted as income for Pension Credit, Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction. Receiving it may actually increase those entitlements, so it is worth telling the relevant office once a claim succeeds.
Who can help me claim Attendance Allowance in Hertfordshire?
Hertfordshire County Council's Money Advice Unit publishes benefits guides including an Attendance Allowance factsheet, and Age UK Hertfordshire and Citizens Advice help people complete the form. Keeping a fortnight of daily notes before you start is the most useful preparation.
Worth applying for
If the only reason a claim has not been made is savings or a house, that reason does not apply. Attendance Allowance is decided on need, and the form is the whole of the process.
If you are weighing up care at home in Hertfordshire and want to understand where the money goes, our St Albans office is on 01727 324 127 or at [email protected]. We support families across St Albans, Harpenden and Welwyn Hatfield, and across Hemel Hempstead, Berkhamsted, Tring, Hitchin, Hertford and Radlett.
The rules were checked against GOV.UK, and the Hertfordshire detail against Hertfordshire County Council, East Herts District Council and Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, on 7 September 2026. Benefit rules change, so confirm the current position on GOV.UK before you rely on it.
Arranging Care Is Simple
Starting care can feel like a big step. We keep it calm and straightforward, and we are here to guide you from your very first call.
1. Talk to us
Get in touch by phone or request a callback. We will listen, answer your questions and help you understand the options, so you can decide what feels right in your own time.
2. A home visit and initial consultation
We arrange a visit to understand your routines, your home and what matters most to you. Together we agree an initial consultation and shape the support that feels right.
3. Your care begins
A small, familiar team starts your care, arriving at the agreed times and staying involved as your needs change. We remain your trusted adviser throughout.
Whenever you are ready, we are here to help.