Millions missing out on £5000 from government, are you eligible?

It is thought that millions of Brits are missing out on Attendance Allowancepayments from the government, worth over £5,000 a year.

The payment is a benefit created to help people who need personal care due to an illness or disability. One expert from Benefit Answers said he believed that up to 3.4 million eligible people were missing out on the support payment, as per The Sun.

How much is the Attendance Allowance?

Attendance Allowance is a payment to help with extra costs for those with a disability severe enough that they need someone to help look after them.

It’s paid at 2 different rates and how much you get depends on the level of care that you need because of your disability. There are currently 57 categories of medical conditions you can claim for, with the most common ones being arthritis and dementia.

You could currently get £61.85 or £92.40 a week to help with personal support if you’re both:

• physically or mentally disabled
• State Pension age or older

The higher rate works out at over £4,800 a year, however these rates will increase in April by 10.1% meaning the new lower rate rate will be £68.10 a week and the higher rate £101.73. The higher would therefore work out at £5,289 a year for those who need it, as per The Sun.

Read more:

⋙ Millions to receive first £301 instalment of £900 cost-of-living payment

Who’s eligible for the benefit?

You are entitled to Attendance Allowance if you’ve reached State Pension age and the following applies:

• you have a physical disability (including sensory disability, for example blindness), a mental disability (including learning difficulties), or both
• your disability is severe enough for you to need help caring for yourself or someone to supervise you, for your own or someone else’s safety
• you have needed that help for at least 6 months (unless you might have 6 months or less to live)

You must also:

• be in Great Britainwhen you claim - there are some exceptions, such as members and family members of the armed forces
• have been in Great Britain for at least 2 of the last 3 years (this does not apply if you’re a refugee or have humanitarian protection status)
• be habitually resident in the UK, Ireland, Isle of Man or the Channel Islands
• not be subject to immigration control (unless you’re a sponsored immigrant)

You do not have to have someone caring for you in order to apply.

To claim, it is necessary to download the Attendance Allowance form on the gov.uk website and then send the application by post to the following address:

Attendance Allowance Unit, Mail Handling Site A, Wolverhampton WV98 2AD.

If you're unable to print the form yourself, you can call the Attendance Allowance helpline on 0800 731 0122 and ask for a copy to be sent to you, as per Gov.uk.

Read more:

⋙ Payments you can expect in February, from cost-of-living support to state benefits

⋙ Thousands will be entitled to £10K if major rule change is confirmed with DWP support payment

Sources used:

- The Sun 'CASH HELP Urgent warning for more than 3million Brits to check they’re not missing out on £5,000 a year cash boost'

- Gov.uk 'Attendance Allowance'