The ongoing rise in the UK State Pension age will delay when older adults born after September 6, 1960, with certain health conditions can start claiming Attendance Allowance, a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) benefit worth up to £494 per month.
Attendance Allowance helps people of State Pension age or older with extra costs if they have a physical or mental disability, or a health condition that requires a certain level of care. The benefit is paid at two rates, depending on the level of care needed. The lower rate is £76.70 per week, while the higher rate is £114.60 per week. This works out to £3,988.40 per year (or £332.36 per month on average) at the lower rate, or £5,959.20 per year (or £494 per month on average) at the higher rate.
Eligibility tied to State Pension age
Eligibility for Attendance Allowance is not only linked to health conditions, as claimants must also have reached State Pension age. The State Pension age is currently rising from 66 to 67, a process that began on April 6 and is due to complete in 2028. The increase is being implemented gradually in one-month increments over the two-year timeframe, which affects eligibility for both the State Pension and other pension age related benefits, such as Attendance Allowance.
As a result, the qualifying age for Attendance Allowance is currently age 66 plus a specified number of months, depending on an individual's birthday. The amount of time pensioners must wait after their 66th birthday before becoming eligible depends on when their birthday falls, with some being only a month or two away from their 67th birthday by the time they can receive their first payment.
Financial impact of the delay
Des Cooney, Financial Consultant at Axis Financial Consultants, told The Express: "The rise in the State Pension age does more than postpone the State Pension itself. Because eligibility for Attendance Allowance is also linked to State Pension age, it pushes back important support for people who are often least able to absorb another gap in their income."
He added: "For someone facing a full 12-month delay, Attendance Allowance alone is worth £3,988.40 at the lower rate or £5,959.20 at the higher rate under the current 2026/27 rates."
Cooney advised: "The practical starting point is to check your exact State Pension age, State Pension forecast, National Insurance record and likely benefit entitlement well in advance. Anyone with a long-term health condition should also check whether a working-age disability benefit, such as Personal Independence Payment or Adult Disability Payment in Scotland, may be available before they reach State Pension age."
He also recommended planning for a financial bridge between an intended retirement date and the date State Pension age benefits begin, which could mean keeping a larger cash reserve, adjusting private pension withdrawals, saving more during the final years of employment, or delaying retirement where realistic.
New timetable for claimants
The next phase of the State Pension age increase begins this month, affecting anyone born between September 6, 1960, and October 5, 1960. Older adults turning 66 during this period face an extra six-month wait before they can claim their State Pension, and in turn, Attendance Allowance if eligible.
Someone born on September 6, 1960, with a qualifying health condition or disability will become eligible to claim Attendance Allowance on March 6, 2027, at exactly 66 years and six months old.
The DWP has confirmed the following timetable for the increase in State Pension age from 66 to 67, showing when people with birthdays between April 6, 1960, and March 5, 1961 can claim their State Pension, and in turn Attendance Allowance if eligible in England, Wales and Northern Ireland:
- April 6, 1960 – May 5, 1960: 66 years and 1 month
- May 6, 1960 – June 5, 1960: 66 years and 2 months
- June 6, 1960 – July 5, 1960: 66 years and 3 months
- July 6, 1960 – August 5, 1960: 66 years and 4 months
- August 6, 1960 – September 5, 1960: 66 years and 5 months
- September 6, 1960 – October 5, 1960: 66 years and 6 months
- October 6, 1960 – November 5, 1960: 66 years and 7 months
- November 6, 1960 – December 5, 1960: 66 years and 8 months
- December 6, 1960 – January 5, 1961: 66 years and 9 months
- January 6, 1961 – February 5, 1961: 66 years and 10 months
- February 6, 1961 – March 5, 1961: 66 years and 11 months
- March 6, 1961 – April 5, 1977: 67 years
