Attendance Allowance check → Attendance Allowance with cancer and at the end of life

Attendance Allowance with cancer and at the end of life

The special rules and SR1 form for people nearing the end of life, and the ordinary claim when cancer treatment means needing help day to day.

Written and checked by the Attendance Allowance Check team at Virix Ltd. Last reviewed 25 September 2026 against gov.uk.

A cancer diagnosis brings a great deal to think about, and money is rarely first on anyone’s mind. For people with cancer, Attendance Allowance can work in two quite different ways. If a doctor, nurse or other medical professional has said someone might have 12 months or less to live, the claim goes under what GOV.UK calls the special rules for end of life: it is simpler, quicker and paid at the higher rate. If not, the ordinary claim applies, and the question is how treatment and its after-effects affect everyday life. This page covers both. For the shorter overview, see our conditions page.

Which route applies

	Special rules for end of life	Ordinary claim
Who it is for	People over State Pension age whose doctor or medical professional has said they might have 12 months or less to live	Everyone else over State Pension age who needs help with personal care or supervision
Six-month wait	None	Help must have been needed for at least six months
Rate	Higher rate, £114.60 a week	Lower rate (£76.70) or higher rate (£114.60), depending on day and night needs
Care questions on the AA1	Not needed (questions 21 to 46)	The heart of the claim

Weekly rates as shown on GOV.UK; see our rates page for more.

The special rules for end of life

GOV.UK says someone is eligible under the special rules if they have reached State Pension age and their doctor or medical professional has said they might have 12 months or less to live. The DWP’s guidance describes a progressive disease from which death may reasonably be expected within 12 months.

Many people have never had that conversation with their doctor. GOV.UK says that if a medical professional has not talked to you about this, you can still ask them to support a claim under the special rules.

What is different

The higher rate. GOV.UK says you get the higher rate, currently £114.60 a week, and you could also get extra Pension Credit, Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reduction.
No six-month wait. The notes that come with the form say you are paid straight away, without having needed help for six months, and the claim is dealt with more quickly.
No care questions. On the AA1, answering “yes” at question 01 means you do not need to answer the care questions, 21 to 46.
No face-to-face assessment. GOV.UK says you will not need to go to one.

The SR1 form

The SR1 is a form about the person’s medical condition, filled in by a doctor or specialist. The notes say it is free, you do not have to see the doctor, and a receptionist, nurse or social worker can arrange it. GOV.UK says the medical professional will either give the form to you or send it straight to the DWP. If you would rather nobody else saw it, the notes suggest asking for it in a sealed envelope.

Do not hold the claim back while you wait. The AA1 says that if you have not got the SR1 by the time the claim form is filled in, send the claim anyway, because waiting could delay payment, and send the SR1 as soon as you can or ask the doctor to send it.

How to claim

You claim online or by post. GOV.UK has a separate online start for claims under the special rules, on its page about claiming if you’re nearing the end of life. To claim on paper, print the AA1, tick “yes” at question 01, and send it to Freepost DWP Attendance Allowance, with nothing else on the envelope and no stamp. The notes warn that without that tick, the DWP cannot normally pay under the special rules. After you send a claim, GOV.UK says you’ll be contacted by phone or sent a letter within 3 weeks to explain when you can expect a decision.

Claiming for someone else

GOV.UK says someone else can make a claim for you, and they do not need your permission. The notes say you do not have to tell the person you are claiming for them. At question 15 of the AA1 there is a box to tick saying you are claiming for them under the special rules.

The AA1 suggests you may wish to tell them, because the DWP will write to them about Attendance Allowance. GOV.UK says the letter about the money awarded will not mention “special rules”, and the form says there is no mention of end of life or the special rules in the DWP’s notifications.

If someone is already getting Attendance Allowance

If the person already gets Attendance Allowance and a medical professional has now said they might have 12 months or less to live, GOV.UK says to let the Attendance Allowance office know straight away.

If an ordinary claim has been sent but not yet decided, the DWP’s guidance says it can be changed to a special rules claim, as long as the DWP hears before the decision. Tell them in writing and send the SR1.

If they live longer than expected, and hospices

The DWP’s guidance says what counts is the expectation when the claim was made, and that special rules awards are normally made for a fixed period, with three years recommended, so the award can be looked at afresh when it ends. The notes also say the allowance may still be paid to someone under the special rules who is in a hospice.

In Scotland: Pension Age Disability Payment

For new claims in Scotland, Pension Age Disability Payment from Social Security Scotland replaces Attendance Allowance, at the same two rates. Scotland has its own Special Rules for Terminal Illness, and mygov.scot sets out some real differences:

No 12-month test. The test is a progressive disease from which death may reasonably be expected, and no life expectancy is needed. Only a registered doctor or nurse involved in the person’s diagnosis or care can make that judgement.
Higher rate, for life. The award is automatically at the higher rate and is a lifetime award, reviewed only if circumstances change.
A shorter application. One part instead of the usual two, plus a BASRiS form, which the doctor or nurse usually sends directly. An SR1 can be accepted instead.
Backdating. Up to 26 weeks, where the clinical judgement came before the application.
Consent is needed. Unlike the DWP’s rules, mygov.scot says someone applying on another person’s behalf must let them know and have their consent.

The ordinary route: cancer, treatment and everyday help

Many people with cancer are not under the special rules at all: they may be having treatment with the hope of recovery, or living with cancer for years. Here the claim is not paid for the diagnosis but for needing help with personal care, or someone to keep an eye on you, for at least six months. The eligibility check sets out the full conditions.

Treatment and its after-effects

Question 36 of the AA1 asks about help with medicines and medical treatment, and it names coping with side effects and monitoring treatment among its examples. Tiredness, sickness, pain, weakness or numb fingers can all mean needing help to wash, dress, eat or get to the toilet in time. The DWP’s guidance says medical attention that is reasonably needed, for example from a district nurse, is added to the other help when the whole picture is looked at.

Needs that come and go

Needs often follow the treatment cycle, with a hard week or two and then some recovery. The guidance tells decision makers to take a broad view of the whole period, not to require help on particular days. Questions 38 and 43 ask how many days and nights a week you have difficulty: give an honest average, then describe a bad spell and how often it comes. The notes suggest keeping a record of a good day and a bad day, from getting up one morning to getting up the next, and you can send it with the form.

The six-month rule

The help must have been needed for six months before Attendance Allowance can be paid. Question 28 asks when that need started, and a rough date is fine. Count from when the difficulties began, which may be before the diagnosis. What matters is the help someone reasonably needs, not the help they happen to receive.

What to write at the key questions

The question numbers below are from the AA1 (edition 11/25) and apply to the ordinary route.

Question	What to include with cancer
16 — illnesses	The type of cancer, when it was found, other conditions, and treatments such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy or hormone therapy, with how often.
17, 21 to 23 — professionals, reports, surgery, tests	Oncologist, clinical nurse specialist, district nurse, hospice or community team; clinic letters, a care plan, a planned operation, scan dates.
28 — when help started	Roughly when you first needed help, even before diagnosis.
29 to 35 — bed, toilet, washing, dressing, moving, falls, eating	What tiredness, sickness, pain or weakness stops you doing, how long things take, and who helps.
36 — medicines and treatment	Help with tablets, injections, a stoma, a line or dressings, and coping with side effects. How often, and for how long.
38 and 41 — days a week	A realistic average across the treatment cycle.
42 to 45 — nights	Being sick, pain, getting to the toilet, being helped to change position, and how many nights a week.
55 to 62 — statement	Optional. A specialist nurse or someone close who sees what happens is often well placed.

An illustrative example

This is a made-up example to show the level of detail, not a real person or wording to copy.

At question 36: “I have chemotherapy every three weeks. For about ten days afterwards I am sick most mornings and too weak to stand at the sink. My husband helps me wash sitting down, dresses my lower half, and makes sure I take the anti-sickness tablets on time, because I cannot keep track when I feel this ill. My fingers are numb, so he does my buttons and opens my tablets every day.”

Our guides to the daytime questions, night-time needs and example answers go further, and common mistakes lists what trips people up.

Getting the form, and free help

You can claim online or by post; GOV.UK explains how, and our guide to the whole AA1 walks through each part. Macmillan Cancer Support and Marie Curie offer free information and support, and Age UK and Citizens Advice help with benefit forms at no charge where they can.

Nothing on this page is medical or legal advice, and we cannot say whether any claim will succeed; that is decided by the DWP or, in Scotland, Social Security Scotland.

Under the special rules the claim is often simpler, and free help is especially worth using.

If you would like a hand with it

We are a private company, Virix Ltd, not part of any government department. We go through the AA1 with you, or with the person you care for, over the telephone, write the answers up in your own words, then print the form and post it to you to read, sign and send. It costs £149, once. If the claim is refused, we help you ask for the decision to be looked at again at no extra cost, and if the answer is still no, we refund the full £149. Or you can pay £15 now for printing and posting, and £234 only if the claim is awarded (terms). Equally, the claim is free to make yourself, and Age UK and Citizens Advice help at no charge where they have capacity, as do some local services; Macmillan and Marie Curie also offer free information and support. How the options compare.

Living in Scotland? Attendance Allowance has been replaced there by Pension Age Disability Payment, paid by Social Security Scotland. It is the same idea with a different form, and we help with that one too.

Sources

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