State Pension provides essential financial support every month for over 12.4 million older people across the UK. This regular payment is available for those who have reached the UK Government’s eligible retirement age, which is now 66 for both men and women across the country.
Of the total number of State Pension claimants, nearly 1.5 million are also receiving a benefit which provides them with additional financial support of up to £358 each month.
Attendance Allowance is a benefit delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) offering extra support to individuals for daily living expenses which can help them stay independent in their own home for longer.
However, many claimants may not be aware that there are several changes in circumstances which must be reported to the DWP’s Attendance Allowance helpline as soon as possible - especially if your condition changes - as they could affect your benefit.
In fact, DWP guidance on the GOV.UK website warns: “You could be taken to court or have to pay a penalty if you give wrong information or do not report a change in your circumstances.”
The guidance goes on to list changes that claimants must report which we have outlined below.
Reporting a change in circumstances
You should call the DWP's Attendance Allowance helpline if:
- the level of help you need or your condition changes
- you go into hospital or a care home
- you leave the country for more than four weeks
- you go into prison
- you change your name, address or bank details
- you want to stop receiving your benefit
- your doctor’s details change
- your immigration status changes, if you’re not a British citizen
If you're not sure if a change affects your Attendance Allowance benefit, it's best to tell the DWP anyway.
How to tell the DWP about a change
If your condition changes, tell the DWP by calling the Attendance Allowance helpline between Monday to Friday, from 8am to 3:30pm - calls are free from mobiles and landlines.
Attendance Allowance helpline:
- Telephone: 0800 731 0122
- Textphone: 0800 731 0317
- Relay UK: if you can't hear or speak on the phone, you can type what you want to say - 18001 then 0800 731 0122. You can use Relay UK with an app or a textphone, there’s no extra charge to use it
Reporting changes on time
Once you know about a change that might affect the amount of Attendance Allowance you receive, tell the DWP as soon as possible.
The change could increase your benefit payment and you might miss out on extra money if you don’t tell the DWP straight away.
You should still tell the DWP if you think a change might reduce your Attendance Allowance - you won't save money by reporting it later.
If you tell the DWP late you could get paid too much and have to repay any overpayments back to the DWP.
If you go into hospital
It's best to keep the DWP informed of any dates you go in and out of hospital. This will ensure you will always get the right amount of Attendance Allowance and you won't have to pay any money back.
Your Attendance Allowance will stop after you've been in hospital for 28 days (4 weeks), but your benefit will resume again from the day you leave hospital.
There is some good guidance around this on Citizens Advice which states: “When working out how many days you've been in hospital, don't count the day you go in or the day you come out.”
Going in and out of hospital over a period of time
If you are in hospital and come back out again, but then go back within 28 days, these periods in hospital will be 'linked' and added together.
The DWP might send you a new claim form to fill in and return if you've been in hospital for a long time. The form will be similar to the one you filled in when you first applied for Attendance Allowance.
Find out more about reporting a change in circumstances to your Attendance Allowance claim on GOV.UK here.
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