Help with filling in the Attendance Allowance form

Filling in the Attendance Allowance form can be difficult - there are some personal questions which can be emotionally draining. Don't worry though - help is available and you don't have to fill in the form alone.

Talk to an adviser if you need help with your form.

You can ask a friend, relative or carer if you'd rather they help you with the form.

If you're terminally ill you'll only need to answer some of the questions. Read more about claiming Attendance Allowance if you're terminally ill.

Make sure you read the notes that come with your Attendance Allowance form before you start filling it in. There's a handy checklist of things you'll need to have with you when you fill the form in, for example:

• your National Insurance number

• your GP's details

• a list of any medication you take

What you should write about on the form

The DWP will use your form to decide whether to give you Attendance Allowance. They'll be looking to see:

• what difficulties you have, or how much help you need

• how often you have difficulties or need help

• what sort of help you need

You don't have to be getting any help at the moment - the important thing is that you need it. For example, you might need to hold on to furniture to move around your home.

How to answer questions about personal tasks

Questions 26 to 44 ask about your care needs with personal tasks. It's really important that you use the blank boxes to explain if you:

• have difficulty or need someone to help you with personal tasks at least 3 times during the day - for example washing, getting out of bed or getting dressed

• have difficulty or need someone to supervise you throughout the day to make sure you stay safe - for example to stop you falling or to look after you if you have seizures or blackouts

• have difficulty or need someone to help you with personal tasks repeatedly (2 or more times) during the night or just once if it's for 20 minutes or more - for example if you need help getting out of bed, going to the toilet or changing the sheets if you have an accident

• need someone to watch over you or supervise you during the night to make sure you're safe - they need to help you at least 3 times, or just once if it's for 20 minutes or more, for example in case you have a fit while you're asleep, or to stop you falling over if you have to get up

Keep a diary

It's worth keeping a diary of your needs for at least a week before you fill in the form. You can use our diary template 99 KB .

The diary can give you a good idea of your 'care needs' - this is the help you need to complete personal tasks.

Help with personal tasks does not mean help with things like housework or gardening or other tasks around the home.

Personal tasks are things like:

• getting in or out of bed

• having a bath or shower

• getting dressed

• being reminded or encouraged to eat or drink

Remember to include any help you need during the night too.

You should also write in the diary how many times you need help with tasks like getting out of chairs.

If you get help to fill in the form, remember to have your diary with you.

Tips for filling in the form

You should read all these tips before you start filling in your form.

Remember to write about the help you need or the difficulty you have

Remember you don't actually have to be getting any help to get Attendance Allowance. The important thing is that you need it - and that you explain why you need it on the form.

Write in the blank boxes

It's really important that you explain the help or supervision you need in the blank boxes for questions 26 to 44. Don't just tick the boxes or write how many times you need help or supervision.

Don't expect the person making the decision to know about your condition

The person making a decision on Attendance Allowance won't be a medical expert, so don't assume they'll know about your condition. It's important you give as much information as possible on the form about how much help you need. Don't think that any detail is too small to include, for example you should tell them if doing the tasks:

• is painful for you

• takes you a long time

• puts you or someone else in danger

• makes you feel breathless

• makes you unsteady

Use an extra sheet of paper if you need to.

Remember to say how many times you need help with tasks

It's really important that you explain how many times you need or get help each day for the 'care needs' questions. You should also explain how many times you have difficulties.

For example if you need help or have difficulty getting to and from the toilet, remember to write the total amount for the day. Filling in our diary template 99 KB will help you.

It's fine to repeat yourself in different answers

You might feel like you're repeating some of your answers. It's fine to write about the same thing again if it's relevant to more than one question.

For example if you have mobility problems and have difficulty getting to the toilet, you should explain this in question 28: 'Do you usually have difficulty or do you need help with your toilet needs?'. You should also explain you have difficulty getting to the toilet in question 31: 'Do you usually have difficulty or do you need help with moving around indoors?'.

Mention the adaptations you use in the relevant question

You're asked to write down your adaptations and aids in question 25 'What aids or adaptations do you use?' - you should also write about them in the relevant 'care needs' questions.

For example if you use a grab rail to get in and out of the shower you should also mention it in question 29: 'Do you usually have difficulty or do you need help with washing, bathing, showering or looking after your appearance?'.

Explain if you have good days and bad days

If your illness or disability means you have good and bad days try to explain how many of each you have in an average week. Filling in our diary template can help you do this. Explain what help you need on a good day and on a bad day.

Explain if tasks take you longer

If you can do some personal tasks on your own but they take you a long time, explain this on the form. It might help if you can compare how long it takes you to a friend or someone else you know who doesn't have your condition.

Example answers for questions 27 to 29

You'll need to write in a lot of blank boxes on the Attendance Allowance form. Read our examples to help you get an idea of what to write.

Get someone who knows you to fill in questions 53 to 60: 'Statement from someone who knows you'

Questions 53 to 60 on the form are in a section called 'statement from someone who knows you'.

You don't have to get someone to fill in this section, but it's best if you do. It can be anyone who knows about your illness or disability and how it affects your ability to do personal tasks.

It's best if you can get a healthcare professional you've seen recently to fill in this section - for example a doctor, consultant or Macmillan nurse.

If you can't get a healthcare professional you can ask a friend, relative or carer. Before they write on the form, talk to them about how your illness or disability affects you. Tell them that the DWP wants to know how much help you need with personal tasks.

It's worth asking them to read the advice on this page before they answer the questions in this section.

Before you send the form

Read through the form again before you send it to make sure you've answered everything properly.

Make a copy of the form if you can - you might need to refer to it later.

Send the form

Check where to send the form and what happens after you’ve sent it.