The Bad Days Book · Sheila Cotterill

The payment most pensioners never ask for

Attendance Allowance is a weekly payment for people who have reached State Pension age and need help looking after themselves, or need someone to keep an eye on them, because of an illness or disability.

2026/27	A week	Every 4 weeks	A year
Lower rate	£76.70	£306.80	£3,988
Higher rate	£114.60	£458.40	£5,959

Lower rate if you need help in the day or at night. Higher rate if you need help both day and night. You usually need to have needed help for about six months.

An estimated 1.1 million pension-age households could be missing out on around £5.2 billion of it a year, according to research by Policy in Practice for MoneySavingExpert. Most of them have simply never been told, or think it isn't for them.

"Oh, that's not for us." Here's why it might be.

"We've got savings."

It isn't means-tested. Savings don't matter.

"We own the house."

Owning your home makes no difference.

"I haven't got a carer."

You don't need one. It's about the help you need, not the help you get.

"I'm not disabled."

Arthritis, a bad chest, failing eyes, a poor memory: it's about the help you need, not a label.

"I still drive."

It has nothing to do with getting about. It's about care at home, day and night.

"They turned me down for PIP."

Attendance Allowance is a different payment with a different test.

Two words that sink claims

Our generation says "I manage" the way other people say hello. On this form, those two words tell the reader you don't need help, even when you do. The book shows you what to write instead.

Too little

"I have arthritis. I manage to wash and dress but it's slow."

Full and honest

"Most days it takes me forty minutes to get washed and dressed. I can't do buttons or socks, so my daughter does them. I've slipped twice getting into the bath, so I only bath when she's here."

The book never asks you to make anything sound worse than it is. It shows you how to describe your real bad days fully and clearly.

From 36 years in people's kitchens

Sheila was a district nurse in Stoke-on-Trent. She never worked for the DWP or the council. She went into people's homes, and saw the same thing again and again: people who needed help every day, entitled to money every week, and getting none of it.

"Nobody rings you to tell you. You have to ring them."

When she nursed her husband Ron at home, she nearly missed the money herself. This book is everything she'd tell you if she was sat at your kitchen table.

Sheila Cotterill is the fictional narrator of our YouTube channel, voiced by an AI presenter. The rules, rates and phone numbers in the guide are researched from GOV.UK and from guides by Age UK, Citizens Advice, Independent Age and others.

What's inside

1The money nobody rings you about
2Ten reasons people don't claim, and why they're wrong
3Do you qualify? The kitchen-table check
4Day, night, lower rate, higher rate
5Before you pick up the pen (and why you should ring, not download)
6Filling in the form: your worst day, in full
7Words that sink claims, and words that help
8After you post it: hospital, care homes and changes
9If they say no: the one-month clock
10The doors it opens: Pension Credit's £86.05 extra and Carer's Allowance
11PIP, the Timms Review and you

Eight worksheets to print and fill in

W1The kitchen-table check

W2My seven-day diary

W3My medicines

W4People who know my needs

W5My claim record

W6My words to swap

W7Asking them to look again (letter)

W8Changes I must report

Get The Bad Days Book

Large print, plain English, and every worksheet you need.

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40-page large-print PDF
11 chapters in plain English
8 printable worksheets and a letter template
England and Wales rules and rates for 2026/27
Read on a phone, tablet or computer, or print it

Get the guide · £11

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Questions

Do I need this book to claim?

No. Claiming Attendance Allowance is free, and Citizens Advice, Age UK and Independent Age will help you fill in the form for nothing. The book is for people who want to understand the rules, prepare properly and fill the form in with confidence, whether on their own or with help.

Is Attendance Allowance really not means-tested?

Yes. Your income, savings and whether you own your home make no difference, and it isn't taxed. If you ever ask the council to help pay for your care, it can count Attendance Allowance in its own means test.

Does it cover Scotland or Northern Ireland?

The book is written for England and Wales. In Scotland, Attendance Allowance has been replaced by Pension Age Disability Payment, which pays the same rates; the book points out where things differ. Northern Ireland isn't covered.

I already get PIP. Is this for me?

If you already get PIP, it usually carries on after State Pension age, and you can't get both. The book explains the difference, and why you shouldn't swap.

Can I buy it for my mum or dad?

Yes. Many people buy it to help a parent. It has a section on claiming for someone else, and the worksheets are easy to fill in together.

What format is it?

A PDF you download straight after paying. It's set in large print, so it's easy to read on a tablet or to print at home.

Free help, whatever you decide

Attendance Allowance helpline: 0800 731 0122. Free help with the form: Citizens Advice, Age UK and Independent Age.