If you are working out how to fill in the Attendance Allowance form for a parent, the single most useful rule is this: describe their worst days and their typical days in detail, and say how often, how long and why they need help. The form (AA1) is long, but most refusals come from answers that are too short or too positive, not from people who were never eligible.
This guide walks through the form section by section, explains how to protect the claim date, and covers what to do if the answer is no.
In short: ask for the form by phone to fix the claim date, keep a short diary for a week, answer every care question with frequency, time and risk, add a statement from someone who knows your parent, and challenge a refusal within one month.
Before you start: protect the claim date
Attendance Allowance is paid from the date of claim and cannot be backdated before it. How you start the claim affects that date.
| How you claim | Claim date | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Phone 0800 731 0122 and ask for a form | The date of the call, if the form is returned within 6 weeks | Most families: it fixes the date while you take time over the answers |
| Download and post the AA1 | The date the DWP receives it | If you already have everything ready |
| Apply online through GOV.UK | The date you submit | People comfortable online who can finish in one go |
Full details are on GOV.UK’s how to claim page. The helpline is open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. Note the date you called and the six-week deadline. The form goes back to a Freepost address, with no stamp or postcode needed. If your parent may be nearing the end of life, see the special rules section below instead: the process is shorter.
How to fill in the Attendance Allowance form, section by section
The AA1 guidance notes say you do not have to fill it in all at once, and that it helps to keep a record of needs over a good day and a bad day. Set aside two or three sittings.
1. About the person claiming
Name, address, date of birth, National Insurance number, nationality and residence. Have their NI number and bank details to hand. If you are filling it in for them, the form is still written in their name; there is a part for someone else to sign if they cannot.
2. Special rules
An early question asks whether the person is claiming under the special rules for people nearing the end of life. For most claims the answer is no, and you carry on.
3. Illnesses, disabilities and treatment
List every condition, not just the main one: arthritis, heart failure, sight or hearing loss, incontinence, depression, memory problems. Add when each started, any medication and the professionals involved, such as the GP surgery, consultant, memory clinic, district nurse or occupational therapist. The DWP may contact them, so include anyone who knows your parent’s situation well.
4. Aids and adaptations
Include walking frames, grab rails, a raised toilet seat, a commode, a pendant alarm, a perching stool, continence pads. Then explain what help is still needed despite them. A grab rail does not stop someone falling when their legs give way on the stairs.
5. Help during the day
This is the heart of the form. There are questions on getting in and out of bed, toilet needs, washing and bathing, dressing, moving around indoors, falls, eating and drinking, medication, communicating and supervision. For each, write about what happens, not what is theoretically possible.
6. Help during the night
Night needs are what usually decide the higher rate. Describe getting up to use the toilet, changing wet bedding, turning in bed, confusion or distress, getting up and wandering. Say how many times a night and how long each takes. Age UK notes the DWP looks for one spell of 20 minutes or more, or repeated shorter spells.
7. Other information and a statement from someone who knows them
Use the space for anything that does not fit elsewhere, and add extra sheets with your parent’s name and National Insurance number on each. There is also space for a statement from someone who knows your parent, such as a family member, neighbour, carer or professional. A short, specific account from someone who sees the reality carries weight.
8. Hospital or care home, payment and declaration
Say if your parent is in hospital or a care home and who pays. Add bank details, then sign. If you are signing for them, explain why.
How to describe care needs so the DWP understands them
The decision maker never meets your parent. They only see the form. So write it as if explaining to a stranger exactly what a day looks like.
- Frequency: “Needs help to the toilet five or six times a day and twice at night.”
- Time: “Getting dressed takes 30 to 40 minutes with help; alone she gives up and stays in her nightdress.”
- Risk: “Has fallen three times since January, once on the landing at night. Cannot get up without help.”
- Prompting and supervision: “Will not wash unless reminded and supervised. Forgets she has eaten. Has left the gas on twice.”
- Pain and consequences: “Can walk to the kitchen but is breathless and has to sit for five minutes.”
Describe the bad days and say how often they happen. If three days out of seven are bad, say so. Avoid words like “sometimes” or “occasionally” without saying what they mean in practice.
A common mistake is to write only about help your parent receives. The test is the help they reasonably need. If your dad lives alone and simply goes without a wash, that still counts, and saying so explains why.
Another is letting your parent answer alone. Older people, and especially people with dementia, often play things down. Fill it in together, gently, and add your own observations. Our guide to signs an elderly parent needs care may help you spot needs that have crept up.
Supporting evidence worth sending
You do not have to send evidence, but it helps. Send copies, never originals.
- a letter or summary from the GP, consultant or memory clinic
- a hospital discharge summary or care plan
- an occupational therapy report or falls clinic letter
- the current home care plan if an agency already visits
- a one-week diary of help needed, day and night
- a list of current medication
A diary is often the most persuasive document of all, because it shows the pattern rather than a single moment. Keep a copy of the completed form, as you will want it for any reconsideration or future review.
Claiming under the special rules
If a doctor or nurse thinks your parent may have 12 months or less to live, ask them for form SR1. They either give it to you or send it straight to the DWP. You then claim online or on the paper form, answering yes to the special rules question, and you do not need to complete the long care-needs sections. The higher rate is paid, with no six-month qualifying period, and Age UK says these claims are usually dealt with within about two weeks. Our Attendance Allowance guide covers rates and eligibility in full.
Getting help with the form in West Sussex
You do not need to pay anyone to fill in this form. Free help is available.
- Age UK West Sussex, Brighton & Hove helps people complete Attendance Allowance forms and publishes its own Attendance Allowance guide. Their advice line is 0800 019 1310 (weekdays, 9am to 2pm).
- Citizens Advice can help with the form, check other benefits and support a mandatory reconsideration or appeal.
- Carers Support West Sussex can advise you as a carer, including on your own entitlement to Carer’s Allowance once Attendance Allowance is awarded.
If a council social worker or occupational therapist is involved, ask whether their assessment can be shared as evidence. See our guide to care needs assessments in West Sussex.
How long does a decision take?
The DWP says you will get a text or letter within three weeks telling you when to expect a decision, followed by the decision letter itself. Standard claims typically take several weeks. The DWP may phone your parent or ask their GP for information, so make sure the contact details on the form are ones that will be answered.
If the claim is refused: mandatory reconsideration
If your parent is turned down, or gets the lower rate when you think the higher rate applies, ask for a mandatory reconsideration. This must usually be done within one month of the date on the decision letter.
- Ask the DWP for the evidence they used, so you can see where they disagreed.
- Write a short letter explaining which needs were missed or misunderstood, with fresh examples.
- Add any new evidence: a GP letter, a diary, a statement from a carer.
- If the reconsideration is also refused, you can appeal to an independent tribunal. Citizens Advice can help.
Many decisions change at reconsideration or appeal, usually because the new evidence fills gaps in the original form.
Once Attendance Allowance is in place, check what else follows. It can increase Pension Credit and may let a family carer claim Carer’s Allowance. Our free funding checker shows what could apply, and home care funding in West Sussex explains the wider options.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to fill in the attendance allowance form?
Allow several hours spread over two or three sessions. Keeping a diary for a week before you finish the care sections makes the answers far more accurate. Ask for the form by phone first so the claim date is protected while you work on it.
Can I fill in the attendance allowance form for my mum?
Yes. You can write the answers and there is a section for someone to sign on the claimant’s behalf if they cannot. If your mum cannot manage her own affairs, you will need to become her appointee or use a registered Lasting Power of Attorney.
Do they contact the GP for attendance allowance?
They may. The form asks for consent to contact the professionals you list. Some claims are decided on the form alone, others after the DWP contacts the GP or asks for a phone call or assessment.
What should I write in the attendance allowance form to get the higher rate?
The higher rate needs help or supervision both day and night, or special rules. Describe night-time needs specifically: how many times help is needed, what for, and how long it takes. Only describe what is true; overstating needs can cause problems later.
Can I ask for help with the form for free?
Yes. Age UK West Sussex, Brighton & Hove and Citizens Advice both help with Attendance Allowance claims at no cost.
The Care Panel is an independent publication. We are not a care provider and are not regulated by the Care Quality Commission, because we do not deliver care. Always check a provider’s own CQC registration and inspection report before you commit.
Written and fact-checked by The Care Panel. Last updated September 2026. Sources: GOV.UK Attendance Allowance: how to claim, DWP AA1 claim form notes, Age UK Factsheet 34 Attendance Allowance, Age UK West Sussex, Brighton & Hove, Citizens Advice. General information, not financial, legal or medical advice — figures are indicative and subject to change.