Attendance allowance, pension credit and other benefits are granted only to persons over the legal retirement age. However, some of these benefits are vastly under-claimed, meaning there are potentially thousands of people missing out during the cost of living crisis.
Attendance allowance
This benefit is available to people over the statutory retirement age who have a disability severe enough to require additional care or supervision.
Britons do not necessarily need to be receiving care to qualify for this benefit, they just need to show that they need it.
There are two rates for Attendance Allowance, a lower rate for those who need help during the day or night and a higher rate for those who need help during both.
Following last week’s 3.1% increase in benefit payments on Monday, the rates for Attendant’s Allowance are currently:
- £61.85 for lowest fare
- £92.40 for the highest fare.
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This is a non-means-tested benefit, which means that the amount of income or savings a person has will not affect their eligibility.
Pension credit
Pension credit is a very low-claimed benefit, providing people over retirement age and on low incomes with a top-up.
This benefit can also help cover additional costs such as rent, and Britons could get extra money if they are carers, disabled or responsible for a child or young person.
DO NOT MISS :
Britons must include their spouse or partner in their application, as must Universal Credit.
Pension Credit can increase an individual’s weekly income by up to £182.60 per week or £278.70 if they have a partner.
There is an online pension credit calculator provided by Gov.uk where Britons can see how much they can claim through this benefit.
Applying for Pension Credit can make Brits eligible for a range of other benefits, although it should be noted that these other benefits also have other requirements.
The amount they will receive will depend on their personal circumstances up to £188.60 per week.
However, those who were self-employed at the time of their accident will not be able to claim.
Constant attendance allowance
To be eligible for this benefit, Britons must apply for either Work Injury Disability Benefit or War Disability Pension.
They must also require daily care due to their disability.
There are four different rates Britons could receive depending on the extent of their disability and the care required because of it, up to £151 per week.
