State Pension age is the single biggest dividing line in UK disability benefits: it decides which benefit you can start claiming, and what happens to an award you already have. If you're anywhere near it, timing can be worth thousands of pounds a year.
Updated 23 July 2026 · Rates shown are the official 2026/27 figures
New claims made before you reach State Pension age go to PIP; new claims made after you've reached it go to Attendance Allowance. State Pension age is currently in the process of rising from 66 to 67, so the exact boundary depends on your date of birth - you can check yours on gov.uk.
There's one big exception, and it works in your favour: if you claimed PIP before reaching State Pension age, you don't get moved to Attendance Allowance. Your PIP simply continues, renewals included, for as long as you still qualify.
| PIP | Attendance Allowance | |
|---|---|---|
| Who can start a claim | 16 to State Pension age | State Pension age and over |
| Daily living / care | £76.70 or £114.60 a week | £76.70 or £114.60 a week |
| Mobility part | £30.30 or £80.00 a week | None - AA has no mobility component |
| Assessment | Usually yes (phone, video or in person) | Usually decided on the form alone |
| Form | PIP2 "How your disability affects you" | AA1 claim form |
| Means-tested? | No | No |
| Carer's Allowance for your carer | Yes - daily living at either rate qualifies | Yes - either rate qualifies |
| Terminal illness fast-track | Yes (SR1 rules) | Yes (SR1 rules) |
The care rates are identical, so for many people the practical difference comes down to one thing: mobility. PIP can pay up to £80.00 a week for getting around - about £4,100 a year - and it's also the gateway to the Motability scheme. Attendance Allowance pays nothing for mobility, no matter how limited your walking is.
That leads to the one piece of timing advice this comparison exists for: if you're within a year or two of State Pension age and your health already limits your daily life or your walking, don't wait. A PIP award that starts before you cross the boundary keeps its mobility component for the life of the award - including after you've drawn your pension. Cross the boundary first, and the mobility money is simply off the table for good. (After State Pension age there are also restrictions on increasing the mobility part of an existing PIP award beyond the rate you already had.)
Because most AA decisions are made on paper, the form carries all the weight - there's usually no assessor to add context later. The classic mistake is understating: describing your best days, or leaving out help you need but don't currently get. AA is about the help you need, whether or not anyone actually provides it, including supervision to keep you safe. The claim form and notes are on gov.uk (linked in the sources below).
In Scotland, Attendance Allowance has been replaced for new claims by Pension Age Disability Payment, which works the same way and pays the same rates - it's claimed through mygov.scot.
PIP adds an assessment on top of the form, and awards are decided on a points system across twelve activities. How you describe bad days, safety and repeatability decides most awards. That's the entire focus of our sister site PIPexpert - start with the free guide to who qualifies, and if you want a side-by-side comparison of the two benefits, PIPexpert's PIP vs Attendance Allowance guide goes claim-by-claim.
If you're starting a PIP claim while you still can, the strongest thing you control is how the PIP2 form and the assessment describe your daily life.
Turns what you tell it about your condition into specific, descriptor-matched wording for every PIP2 question - with a free preview so you can see it on your own condition first.
Start with a free preview →Our guide to what you can claim for a health condition maps every UK disability benefit by age and situation, and the 2026/27 rates page has every figure in one place.
Sources: gov.uk: PIP · gov.uk: Attendance Allowance · gov.uk: State Pension age · DWP rates 2026/27 · mygov.scot: Pension Age Disability Payment