Changes and reviews

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An Attendance Allowance award is not a one-time decision that can be forgotten. If your circumstances change, the amount you get may go up or down, and you must contact the Attendance Allowance helpline straight away. Delay is the expensive mistake: overpayments caused by unreported changes must be repaid.

Changes you must report straight away

The level of help you need or your condition changes — including how many times a day you need help.
You go into hospital or a care home — with the address, the dates, and how the stay is paid for.
A medical professional has said you might have 12 months or less to live — you could qualify for the higher rate under the special rules.
You plan to leave the country for more than 4 weeks.
You go into prison.
You change your name, address, or bank details.
You want to stop receiving the benefit.
Your doctor's details change.
Your immigration status changes, if you are not a British citizen.

Extra reports for care home stays over four weeks

If a care home stay lasts more than four weeks, you must also report: any change to how the care home fees are funded (for example, starting or stopping NHS or local council funding); a move from temporary to permanent residence; a move to another care home; and any move into hospital. These reports matter because funding changes can change entitlement itself, not just the amount.

Reviews, rate changes, and overpayments

There is no fixed review cycle published on the GOV.UK overview page, and this site does not invent one. What is certain is that a reported change can move the rate in either direction: more help needed can move a lower-rate award to the higher rate, and less help needed can move it down. If you have been paid too much — because a change was not reported straight away, wrong information was given, or you were overpaid by mistake — you may have to repay the money. The GOV.UK guide points to the benefit overpayment repayment route for how to repay. If you disagree with a decision, including a decision after a change, you can challenge it by asking for mandatory reconsideration; as with new claims, check the decision letter for the deadline that applies.

Leaving the country. A planned absence of more than four weeks must be reported before you go. Short trips do not trigger the same report, but the four-week line is the one the guide draws — do not assume a longer absence is safe without telling the DWP.

General information only. This page explains Attendance Allowance in plain English. It is not legal, financial, or medical advice, and it cannot decide whether you qualify. Only the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) can decide a claim. Rates and rules change over time — the figures here are for 2026/27, from April 2026 — so always confirm the current position with GOV.UK or the DWP before you act on it. Contact: hello [at] tapetoolhq.com.