When a family first sits down to talk about care, the conversation usually goes the same way. There's a parent who's struggling a bit more than they used to. There's a son or daughter trying to hold a job, a household and a worry, all at the same time. And nobody mentions money, because money feels uncomfortable.

Then, somewhere in the conversation, we ask a simple question: have you looked at Attendance Allowance? Have you thought about Carer's Allowance? And almost every time, the answer is no. Sometimes they've heard of one but not the other. Sometimes they've seen the form and put it in a drawer. Sometimes they're convinced they earn too much, or own their home, or won't qualify for some other reason that turns out not to be true.

This guide walks you through both benefits in plain English: who they're for, what they pay in 2026, and how to claim without losing a weekend to paperwork.

The Two Benefits at a Glance

These benefits do different jobs and go to different people, and that catches a lot of families out.

Attendance Allowance is for the person who needs help. It's paid to people over State Pension age who need support with personal care or supervision because of a physical or mental health condition. There is no means test, so savings and income don't come into it. It's tax-free and paid every four weeks.

Carer's Allowance is for the person doing the caring. It's paid to family carers (or friends, or neighbours) who provide at least 35 hours of care a week to someone receiving certain disability benefits. There is an earnings limit, so it interacts with paid work and with the carer's own pension.

In short: one helps cover the cost of care, the other recognises the time a carer gives. Many families end up claiming both, with one in each name.

Attendance Allowance in 2026: Who Qualifies and What You'll Get

To claim Attendance Allowance, the person needing care must:

• Be over State Pension age
• Have needed help with personal care or supervision for at least six months (the waiting period is waived if they're terminally ill)
• Be habitually resident in the UK

There are two rates. The lower rate is paid where help is needed during the day or at night. The higher rate is paid where help is needed both day and night, or where someone is terminally ill.

For 2026, expect the lower rate to be around £75 per week and the higher rate to be around £112 per week. Rates uprate every April, so always confirm the current figures on gov.uk before you build a budget around them.

A few things families often miss:

• Owning your home doesn't matter. Neither do savings or income.
• Attendance Allowance doesn't reduce other benefits. In fact, claiming it can sometimes unlock extra Pension Credit or a Council Tax reduction.
• You don't need a formal diagnosis for many conditions. The form is about how the condition affects daily life, not a medical label.

Carer's Allowance in 2026: The Rules That Trip People Up

Carer's Allowance is more conditional, and that's where the questions start.

To claim, you must care for someone for at least 35 hours a week, and the person you care for must be receiving the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment, the middle or higher rate of Disability Living Allowance care component, or Attendance Allowance (which is why the two benefits are often claimed together).

The 2026 weekly amount is expected to be around £85 per week. There's an earnings limit (around £200 per week after allowable deductions in 2026). Pension contributions, certain childcare costs and some equipment costs come off your earnings before they're tested, so don't write yourself off too quickly.

A few honest warnings:

• State Pension and Carer's Allowance overlap. If your State Pension is higher than the Carer's Allowance rate, you usually won't be paid Carer's Allowance, but you may have an "underlying entitlement" that boosts other benefits like Pension Credit. Always claim, even if you think it won't be paid.
• Only one person can claim Carer's Allowance for caring for one individual, even if two of you share the load.
• It can affect the cared-for person's benefits in some cases, particularly the severe disability premium. A quick check with Age UK or Citizens Advice before you submit will save a headache later.

How to Claim: The Forms, the Evidence, the Reality

The two main forms are AA1A (Attendance Allowance) and DS700 (Carer's Allowance). Both can be done online or on paper.

The Attendance Allowance form is long. It asks how the condition affects washing, dressing, eating, getting around the home, going to the toilet, and being safe alone. The single most useful tip we give families is this: describe a bad day, not an average one.

A bad day is the truthful day. It's the day the person can't manage the stairs, forgets they've left the hob on, needs prompting to take their tablets, or gets up four times in the night. The form is designed to capture that. People underclaim because they're stoic, and stoicism doesn't fit on a benefits form.

Gather supporting evidence as you go: a list of medications, the names and addresses of the GP and any specialists, copies of recent letters from clinics. You don't need to send originals.

If the form feels overwhelming, you don't have to do it alone. Age UK Maidstone (covering Maidstone, Sevenoaks and Tonbridge), the national Age UK Advice Line on 0800 678 1602 (for Gravesham and Medway), Citizens Advice and Carers UK all offer free help with these forms, and they're very good at it. We routinely point families to one of these as part of our first conversation.

Claiming Alongside Private Home Care

A question we hear often: if I'm paying Maucare, does that stop the claim? It does not. Attendance Allowance and Carer's Allowance are not affected by you paying for private care. In fact, many of our families use the money to fund extra hours, a weekly sit-in, or a regular respite visit so they can have an evening off.

A few practical tips:

• Backdating is limited. Attendance Allowance is usually paid from the date the form is received, so don't sit on it. The DS700 form can sometimes be backdated up to three months.
• Keep a copy of everything you send, with the date.
• Plan how the money will be used before it lands, otherwise it tends to disappear into the household. Two extra Maucare visits a week, a cleaner once a fortnight, or a sitter on a Saturday afternoon can change a family's week.

Conclusion: Money You're Owed, Care You Deserve

We've sat at a lot of kitchen tables over the years, and there's a moment we look forward to: the moment a family realises that the support they thought they couldn't afford is actually within reach. Attendance Allowance and Carer's Allowance won't pay for everything. They will, very often, pay for enough to make the difference between coping and being well looked after.

If you'd like a hand working out what you might be entitled to, or you'd like to talk about how a benefit could turn into proper care hours at home, we're always happy to have that conversation. Start with gov.uk/attendance-allowance and gov.uk/carers-allowance, ring Age UK Maidstone or the national Age UK Advice Line on 0800 678 1602 for help with the form, and then come and have a cup of tea with us. For you, with you: that's how we like to do it.