Attendance Allowance day and night needs
Attendance Allowance considers your care and supervision needs separately for day and night. Whether you have day needs, night needs, or both affects which rate you receive.
We explain the system. We do not advise on individual cases.
Why day and night needs matter
Attendance Allowance has two rates, and which one applies depends on whether help or supervision is needed during the day, during the night, or both. Describing both clearly is central to a claim.
What counts as day needs
Daytime needs include frequent help with personal care (washing, dressing, eating, moving around indoors), or continual supervision to avoid danger to yourself or others.
What counts as night needs
Night-time needs include needing help several times or for a long period during the night, or someone needing to watch over you to keep you safe.
The two rates
- Lower rate: help needed by day or by night.
- Higher rate: help needed by day and night, or if you are terminally ill.
For the figures, see lower and higher rate.
Next steps
- See the rates and qualifying period.
- Read who it is for and how to claim.
- Official source: GOV.UK — Attendance Allowance.
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Last reviewed: June 2026. We review this website regularly. Benefit rules and amounts can change — for current forms, deadlines and rates, always check GOV.UK. See how we keep this up to date.