Disability support

Attendance Allowance vs PIP: which one can you claim in 2026/27?

Written by James Whitfield · Updated 19 October 2026 · 7 min read · Checked against 2026/27 DWP & HMRC rates
Contents (8 sections)
  1. Quick answer: Attendance Allowance or PIP?
  2. How do Attendance Allowance and PIP compare?
  3. Does Attendance Allowance use points like PIP?
  4. What happens to PIP when I reach State Pension age?
  5. Worked example: why claiming before State Pension age matters
  6. What do Attendance Allowance and PIP unlock?
  7. Which one should I claim if I am close to State Pension age?
  8. Key facts: Attendance Allowance vs PIP 2026/27
Quick answer: Attendance Allowance or PIP?
  • Your age decides it. You usually need to be under State Pension age to make a new PIP claim. If you have reached State Pension age, you claim Attendance Allowance instead.31
  • PIP has a daily living part and a mobility part, worth up to £194.60 a week in 2026/27. Attendance Allowance has no mobility part and pays £76.70 or £114.60 a week.42
  • If you already get PIP when you reach State Pension age, you keep PIP; you do not move to Attendance Allowance.5 You cannot get both at once.1
  • Neither is means-tested and both are tax-free.239

How do Attendance Allowance and PIP compare?

Both help with the extra costs of a disability or health condition, and neither is means-tested, but they are built differently. Here are the 2026/27 weekly rates side by side.42

PIP daily living, standard / enhanced (weekly)£76.70 / £114.60
PIP mobility, standard / enhanced (weekly)£30.30 / £80.00
Most PIP can pay a week£194.60
Attendance Allowance, lower / higher (weekly)£76.70 / £114.60
Attendance Allowance for mobilityNone

The daily living rates of PIP and the two rates of Attendance Allowance are the same in 2026/27. The real difference is mobility: Attendance Allowance never pays anything for getting around.24

Who can claim: new PIP claims are for people aged 16 to State Pension age; Attendance Allowance is for people who have reached State Pension age.31

How long you must have had your needs: for PIP, 3 months, and expected to last at least 9 more; for Attendance Allowance, 6 months.61

How the rate is decided: PIP awards points across 12 activities; Attendance Allowance looks at the help or supervision you need by day and by night.42

In Scotland, Adult Disability Payment replaces PIP and Pension Age Disability Payment replaces Attendance Allowance.31

Does Attendance Allowance use points like PIP?

No. PIP scores 10 daily living activities and 2 mobility activities, and you need 8 points for the standard rate and 12 for the enhanced rate of each part.4

Attendance Allowance has no points. The lower rate is for frequent help or constant supervision during the day, or supervision at night. The higher rate is for help or supervision throughout both day and night, or if a medical professional has said you are nearing the end of life.2 So an 'Attendance Allowance points calculator' does not exist; what matters is how much help you need, and when.

What happens to PIP when I reach State Pension age?

You keep getting PIP. You do not have to claim Attendance Allowance, and you could not get both.51

The daily living part can still be increased if your needs grow. The mobility part is more restricted after State Pension age: a standard rate award generally cannot be increased to the enhanced rate, and an award must come from substantially the same condition as before.5

You can also make a new PIP claim after State Pension age if you got PIP or Adult Disability Payment in the last 12 months.3

Worked example: why claiming before State Pension age matters

Linda was born in 1962, so her State Pension age is 67. She is 64 and has had arthritis for a year that makes walking and getting dressed difficult. If she claims PIP now and is awarded the enhanced daily living rate and the enhanced mobility rate:

PIP enhanced daily living£114.60
PIP enhanced mobility£80.00
PIP a week£194.60
If she waits and claims Attendance Allowance at 67 (higher rate)£114.60
Difference a week£80.00
Difference a year (x 52)£4,160.00

If her PIP award is in place before State Pension age, she keeps it, including the mobility part. The figures are an illustration: the rate you get depends on your own assessment, and nobody can promise an award.

What do Attendance Allowance and PIP unlock?

Both can let someone who cares for you for 35 hours a week claim Carer's Allowance of £86.45 a week: Attendance Allowance at either rate, or the daily living part of PIP at either rate.7

At State Pension age, both can add the severe disability amount of £86.05 a week to Pension Credit, if no other adult normally lives with you and nobody is paid Carer's Allowance for looking after you (there are exceptions).8

Both also mean your household is not affected by the benefit cap.10

Which one should I claim if I am close to State Pension age?

If you are under State Pension age and your condition has affected you for 3 months and is expected to last at least 9 more, claim PIP rather than waiting. The 3 months and 9 months are set out in law.6

If you have already reached State Pension age, claim Attendance Allowance once you have needed help for 6 months. If you are nearing the end of life, both benefits have faster claims and pay the higher rate.13

In Scotland, claim Adult Disability Payment instead of PIP, and Pension Age Disability Payment instead of Attendance Allowance.31

Key facts: Attendance Allowance vs PIP 2026/27
  • New PIP claims: usually under State Pension age. Attendance Allowance: State Pension age or over.31
  • PIP: up to £194.60 a week (daily living £76.70 / £114.60, mobility £30.30 / £80.00).4
  • Attendance Allowance: £76.70 or £114.60 a week, with no mobility part.2
  • PIP carries on past State Pension age if you already get it; you cannot get both.51
  • Neither is means-tested; both are tax-free.29

Free next step: PIP rates and eligibility checker 2026/27 UK (free)

Related guides

The questions most people ask after reading this.

Pensions
Attendance Allowance 2026/27: rates, who qualifies and what it unlocks
Disability support
PIP points explained: every descriptor and how many points you need
Disability benefits
PIP rates 2026/27, daily living and mobility amounts explained
Pensions
State Pension 2026/27: how much is the full State Pension?
Carers
Carer's Allowance earnings limit 2026/27: how much can you earn?
Benefit rates
UK benefit rates 2026/27: the complete list of new amounts

Frequently asked questions

Can I claim PIP if I am over State Pension age?
Usually not as a new claim. You can if you got PIP or Adult Disability Payment in the last 12 months. Otherwise, claim Attendance Allowance.
Do I lose PIP when I reach State Pension age?
No. If you already get PIP, it carries on. The daily living part can still go up, but the mobility part generally cannot be increased from the standard to the enhanced rate.
Is Attendance Allowance the same amount as PIP?
Its two rates, £76.70 and £114.60 a week, are the same as the PIP daily living rates. Attendance Allowance has no mobility part, so PIP can pay up to £194.60 a week.
Does Attendance Allowance have a points system?
No. The rate depends on whether you need help or supervision by day, by night, or both. Only PIP uses points.
Can I get Attendance Allowance and PIP together?
No. You cannot get Attendance Allowance if you get PIP or DLA.
Are Attendance Allowance and PIP means-tested?
No. Your income and savings do not affect either benefit, and both are tax-free.

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Sources & references

The figures and rules in this guide are drawn from the official UK government sources below. Rates are the confirmed 2026/27 amounts. Each link opens the relevant official page in a new tab.

  1. Attendance Allowance: eligibility www.gov.uk/attendance-allowance/eligibility
  2. Attendance Allowance: what you'll get www.gov.uk/attendance-allowance/what-youll-get
  3. PIP: eligibility www.gov.uk/pip/eligibility
  4. PIP: what you'll get www.gov.uk/pip/what-youll-get
  5. The Social Security (Personal Independence Payment) Regulations 2013, regulation 27 (people over pensionable age) www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/377/regulation/27
  6. Welfare Reform Act 2012, section 81 (PIP required period condition) www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2012/5/section/81
  7. Carer's Allowance: eligibility www.gov.uk/carers-allowance/eligibility
  8. The State Pension Credit Regulations 2002, Schedule I (severe disability additional amount) www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2002/1792/schedule/I
  9. Income Tax: taxable and tax-free state benefits www.gov.uk/income-tax/taxfree-and-taxable-state-benefits
  10. Benefit cap: when you're not affected www.gov.uk/benefit-cap/when-youre-not-affected
Verified against published UK government guidance.
Independent guide only. Written using published 2026/27 DWP and HMRC figures. Not an official government service. For case-specific guidance, contact Citizens Advice or a welfare-rights adviser. Methodology · Editorial standards

Written and reviewed by James Whitfield and the editorial team.

Every figure is checked against current GOV.UK guidance and reviewed for the 2026/27 tax year. We explain the numbers in plain English with worked examples. Editorial standards · About us