Benefits for People With Dementia and Their Carers in the UK

Dementia brings extra costs: help at home, transport, heating, laundry, and often a family member cutting back on work to provide care. Many people affected by dementia are entitled to benefits they never claim, often because they assume they won't qualify or that their savings rule them out.

Some of the most useful benefits for dementia are not means-tested. That means income and savings usually don't matter. This guide explains the main ones, with rates for April 2026 to March 2027, and how to give a claim the best chance of success.

Where this applies: This guide is written for England. The DWP benefits described here (Attendance Allowance, PIP, Carer's Allowance and Pension Credit) work the same way in Wales, but council tax rules there differ slightly. Scotland and Northern Ireland are different: Scotland has its own disability and carer benefits (such as Pension Age Disability Payment and Carer Support Payment), and Northern Ireland's benefits are run by the Department for Communities. Check the rules where the person lives.

In short: People over State Pension age with care or supervision needs may get Attendance Allowance (£76.70 or £114.60 a week). People under State Pension age may get PIP instead. A family carer providing 35 hours or more a week may get Carer's Allowance (£86.45 a week). Many people with dementia can also get a big council tax discount or a full exemption.

Benefits for the person with dementia

Attendance Allowance (over State Pension age)

Attendance Allowance is for people of State Pension age or older who need help with personal care, or someone to watch over them for their own or someone else's safety, because of a physical or mental disability or health condition.

Key points:

• It isn't means-tested. Income and savings usually don't affect it.
• You don't need a carer to claim. It's based on the help the person needs, not the help they get. Someone living alone who struggles but gets no help can still qualify.
• Supervision counts. For dementia, this is often the most important part. It means someone needing to watch over them to keep them or others safe, for example because they leave the gas on, wander at night or forget medication.
• The six-month rule. Normally, the person must have needed help for at least six months before they can be paid.
• End of life. If a doctor or other medical professional has said the person might have 12 months or less to live, they can claim under special rules. Claims are dealt with more quickly and Attendance Allowance is paid at the higher rate. The medical professional completes a form called an SR1.
• Care homes. It usually can't be paid if the council is paying for a care home place, but it can if the person pays all the care home costs themselves.
• It can unlock other help. Getting Attendance Allowance can mean extra Pension Credit, Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction, and is usually needed to qualify for the council tax disregard below.

Personal Independence Payment (under State Pension age)

People who develop dementia before State Pension age, sometimes called young onset dementia, can claim Personal Independence Payment (PIP) instead. It isn't means-tested and you can claim while working.

PIP has two parts, each paid at a standard or enhanced rate:

PIP is assessed on how someone manages 12 everyday activities, such as preparing food, managing medication, communicating, making decisions about money, and planning and following a journey. An activity only counts as managed if the person can do it safely, to an acceptable standard, as often as needed and in a reasonable time.

Because dementia symptoms often vary, describe what happens on most days (more than half), not on a good day. This matters for people with frontotemporal dementia too, where changes in behaviour and judgement can affect safety more than memory does. Read more about behavioural variant FTD.

Benefits for carers

Carer's Allowance

Carer's Allowance is £86.45 a week in 2026/27. To get it, you must:

• be 16 or over
• care for someone for at least 35 hours a week (this can include help with washing and cooking, taking them to appointments, and household tasks such as managing bills and shopping)
• care for someone who gets a qualifying benefit, such as Attendance Allowance, the daily living part of PIP, or the middle or highest care rate of Disability Living Allowance
• earn £204 a week or less after tax, National Insurance and certain expenses
• not be in full-time education or studying 21 hours or more a week

You don't need to be related to the person or live with them. If more than one person cares for the same person, only one of you can claim Carer's Allowance for them.

Things to know before claiming:

• You get National Insurance credits, which help protect your State Pension record.
• It can affect the cared-for person's benefits. If you're paid Carer's Allowance, the person you care for will usually stop getting a severe disability premium with their benefits, or the extra amount for severe disability in Pension Credit (£86.05 a week in 2026/27). Get a benefits check first.
• If you already get your State Pension. You usually can't be paid Carer's Allowance on top of your State Pension. But it's often still worth claiming: if you meet the conditions but aren't paid because of your pension, you have what's called an "underlying entitlement". If you get Pension Credit, this can add a carer addition of £48.15 a week.
• Watch your earnings carefully. Going over the limit stops entitlement for that week.

Other help for carers

• Universal Credit includes extra money for carers who meet the conditions.
• A carer's assessment from the council can lead to practical support, such as breaks from caring. It's free and you can ask for one at any time.

Looking after yourself matters too. Our articles on the emotional toll of watching a loved one's dementia progress and why dementia affects everyone in the family look at the strain caring can bring.

Pension Credit

Pension Credit tops up income for people over State Pension age. In 2026/27, the Guarantee Credit tops up weekly income to £238.00 for a single person and £363.25 for a couple. It can include extra amounts for disability and caring, including:

• a severe disability amount of £86.05 a week for an eligible person (for example, someone getting Attendance Allowance)
• a carer amount of £48.15 a week

Savings of £10,000 or less don't affect Pension Credit. Above that, every £500 over £10,000 is counted as £1 a week of income. Many eligible pensioners don't claim it, and getting it can also open the door to help with council tax, housing costs and other support. It's worth checking, especially once Attendance Allowance has been awarded.

Council tax discounts and exemptions

Many people with dementia can pay less council tax, or none at all, through the severe mental impairment disregard. To qualify:

• a doctor must confirm the person has a severe impairment of intelligence and social functioning that appears to be permanent (dementia can meet this)
• they must get a qualifying benefit, such as Attendance Allowance or PIP

What this means in practice:

You can ask the council to backdate the discount, but how far back they'll go depends on local policy. Many families only find out about this years after diagnosis, so it's worth applying as soon as the person qualifies.

In Wales, from April 2026 this has been renamed "significant cognitive impairment", with an updated definition.

Separately, Council Tax Reduction is a means-tested scheme run by councils for people on lower incomes.

Tips for a strong claim

Dementia claims are often turned down, or awarded at a lower rate, because the form doesn't capture what daily life is really like. These tips can help:

• Keep a diary for a week or two. Note every time the person needs prompting, help or supervision, day and night, and how long it takes.
• Describe the bad days and the risks. Leaving the cooker on, going out at night, missing medication, falls, getting lost, being taken advantage of by scammers. Explain what would happen if nobody helped.
• Don't let the person underplay things. Many people with dementia say they "manage fine". It can help if a family member or carer adds their own account.
• Include supporting evidence. Letters from the GP, memory clinic, community nurse or social worker can make a real difference.
• Night needs count. Waking, confusion or wandering at night can be the difference between the lower and higher rate of Attendance Allowance. Our guide to sundowning explains why evenings and nights can be harder.
• Challenge decisions you think are wrong. You can ask the DWP to look at the decision again. This is called mandatory reconsideration, and you usually need to ask within one month of the date of the decision. If you still disagree, you can appeal to an independent tribunal.
• Reclaim as things change. Dementia is progressive. If needs increase, ask for the award to be reviewed. Our guide to the stages of dementia explains how needs usually change.

Where to get help

A free benefits check can show what the whole household is entitled to. Local Citizens Advice offices, council welfare rights teams and dementia charities can help with forms and appeals. Alzheimer's Society's Dementia Support Line is 0333 150 3456.

If someone else will be managing the person's money, they'll need legal authority to deal with benefits and bank accounts, ideally a registered lasting power of attorney for property and financial affairs.

The rates here apply from April 2026 to March 2027. Benefit rates usually change every April, and rules do change, so check current figures on gov.uk or with an adviser before you claim.