Three Sisters
Three Sisters›Guides›The AA1 form

AA1 form: where to get it, and how to fill it in

Checked 21 September 2026 against GOV.UK · Sources at the bottom

Attendance Allowance is claimed using a form called the AA1. This page covers the three ways to get it or apply, which one is fastest, and what to send with it.

What the AA1 form is

The AA1 is the official claim form for Attendance Allowance. It asks about the help someone needs because of an illness or disability - with things like washing, dressing, taking medicine, moving around the home, and staying safe at night. There's also an online version that asks the same questions in a different order.

Whichever route you use, the questions are the same. Our free helper interviews you in plain English first, then turns your answers into a filled AA1 PDF, ready to check and send - see how it works, question by question and example filled answers from real test claims.

Three ways to get the form or apply

1. Apply online

Go to GOV.UK and search "Apply for Attendance Allowance", or use the direct online claim service. You answer the questions on screen instead of filling in a paper form. The claim starts the day you apply online. You cannot apply online if you are an appointee or hold power of attorney. In that case, use one of the two routes below instead - see our online form guide for what to have ready if you do go this way.

If you've already worked through our helper, keep the answer sheet open next to the online form and copy each answer across into the matching question.

2. Ring for a paper form

Call 0800 731 0122 and ask for an Attendance Allowance claim form. DWP posts a blank form to the address you give them. The claim can start from the date of the call, if the form is returned within 6 weeks.

This route suits someone who'd rather fill in a paper form by hand, or who doesn't want to apply online. It does mean waiting for the form to arrive in the post before you can start - but once it's in your hands, filling it in from the helper's answer sheet takes only a few minutes of copying.

3. Download and print the form

The claim form is also published on GOV.UK as a PDF ("Attendance Allowance claim form"), which you can download and print yourself instead of waiting for one to arrive by post. This route has no phone call to mark a start date, so the claim only starts on the day DWP actually receives your completed, posted form.

Post the completed form to: Freepost DWP Attendance Allowance. No stamp is needed.

Signing the form

Whoever is claiming signs the form, unless someone else is entitled to sign for them - for example, an appointee, a deputy, or someone with power of attorney. If someone else signs, a separate statement part of the form needs to come from someone who knows the claimant well, not from whoever filled the form in on their behalf.

Which route is fastest

If you want the earliest possible start date and nothing stands in the way, applying online is fastest: the claim starts the moment you apply, with no waiting for a form to arrive or be posted back.

Ringing 0800 731 0122 is a close second. The claim starts from the day of the call, as long as the form is back with DWP within 6 weeks - so it's a good choice if you know you can turn the form around quickly once it lands on the doormat.

Downloading and printing is the slowest to get a claim date on the clock, because nothing marks a start date until DWP receives the finished form in the post. It's still a solid choice if you already have a printer to hand and want to get started straight away rather than waiting for a call to connect or a form to arrive - just post it as soon as it's filled in.

Whichever route you use, DWP sends a text or letter within 3 weeks to say when to expect a decision.

What to send with the form

Along with the completed AA1, it helps to send:

Send copies, not original documents - DWP doesn't return anything you post.

Parts you still need to finish by hand

Our helper fills in the care questions from your interview answers, but a few sections need finishing by hand on every claim, whichever route you use:

Check the answer sheet too - it lists anything else that wasn't answered and still needs filling in.

How the helper fits into all this

Whichever of the three routes you choose, the questions on the form are the same, and getting the wording right for each one is the hard part. That's what our free helper does: it asks you plain questions about the help someone needs, in everyday language, then writes that into the exact wording the AA1 form expects.

Nothing you type leaves your browser. There's no account, no saved personal data on any server, and no promise of an outcome - DWP makes the decision, based on what's sent.

Which form does what

The AA1 is specific to Attendance Allowance, claimed by people over State Pension age. It's a different form from Personal Independence Payment's own claim form, which is for people under State Pension age with similar needs - see our Attendance Allowance or PIP guide if you're not sure which one applies. Scotland runs its own equivalent scheme rather than the AA1 itself.

If the person you're claiming for is nearing the end of life, a separate, shorter process applies under the special rules - the long care-question sections of the AA1 are skipped, and a doctor or specialist can send the supporting SR1 form straight to DWP. See what changes under the special rules. Whichever version applies, the form itself is still the AA1, and the three routes above (online, phone, post) still decide when the claim starts.

Start the free Attendance Allowance helper →

More on filling in the form

How to fill in the form, question by question Example answers The online form Are they eligible? (free check)

Sources

Written by Kalvis, founder of Three Sisters. See how we test.