Attendance Allowance — start here
If your relative is over State Pension age and needs help with personal care or supervision because of a physical or mental health condition, Attendance Allowance is very likely the first thing to claim. It is not means-tested. Savings, income, a house, a private pension — none of it affects eligibility, which is based purely on the help someone needs.
For 2026/27 it pays £76.70 a week at the lower rate, for people who need help by day or by night, and £114.60 a week at the higher rate, for people who need help both day and night, or who are terminally ill. That is roughly £3,988 or £5,959 a year, tax-free, and you can spend it on whatever you like — there is no requirement to spend it on formal care.
The condition must generally have been present for at least six months, though this is waived for people who are terminally ill, and those claims are fast-tracked. Claiming Attendance Allowance can also unlock extra Pension Credit, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction, which is why it is worth claiming even by families who feel they are managing.
In Scotland, Attendance Allowance is being replaced by Pension Age Disability Payment, delivered by Social Security Scotland. The rates are the same and existing awards transfer automatically.
Local authority support and the means test
Anyone can ask their council for a free care needs assessment, regardless of income, and it is worth doing even if you expect to pay for everything yourself. The assessment establishes what support is needed; a separate financial assessment establishes who pays.
In England the thresholds have been frozen for years. Capital above £23,250 means funding your own care in full. Below £14,250, capital is disregarded and only income is assessed. Between the two, councils apply a tariff: £1 a week of assumed income for every £250 of capital above the lower limit.
Thresholds differ elsewhere in the UK — Scotland and Wales both operate more generous limits. The much-discussed £86,000 lifetime cap on care costs has not been implemented.
NHS Continuing Healthcare
NHS Continuing Healthcare, usually shortened to CHC, is a package fully funded by the NHS. It is not means-tested at all. The test is whether someone has what is called a primary health need — meaning their needs are principally medical rather than social.
It is genuinely hard to qualify for and the assessment process is often described as bruising. But it is worth pursuing where needs are substantial or unpredictable, particularly after a serious illness or where nursing input is significant. Age UK and Beacon both publish good free guidance on the process, and Beacon offers a free advice line.
Direct payments — the option that matters most here
If a council assesses someone as eligible for support, they can usually take that support as a direct payment rather than as council-arranged services. The money goes to them, and they arrange their own care with it.
This matters particularly if you want to choose your own helper. Direct payments can normally be used to engage a self-employed helper, which means council support and choosing the individual who comes to the house are not mutually exclusive. Rules vary between councils, so ask yours specifically what a direct payment can be used for before assuming.
Where to get free, independent help
This guide is a starting point, not financial advice, and Witho has an obvious interest in how you arrange care — so please also take advice from someone who does not. Age UK offers free benefits checks and will often help complete an Attendance Allowance form, which is long and off-putting. Citizens Advice covers the same ground. For larger decisions involving property or long-term funding, a financial adviser accredited by the Society of Later Life Advisers is the right port of call.