Farra is a death administration assistant for UK families. Get step-by-step guidance for registering a death, applying for probate, notifying banks, and managing bereavement admin. From essential documents to practical checklists, Farra simplifies estate paperwork and funeral-related tasks so you can focus on what matters.
Attendance Allowance stops from the date of death. DWP should be notified as soon as possible — via Tell Us Once or by calling the Attendance Allowance helpline on 0800 731 0122. Any payment covering a period after the date of death is an overpayment that DWP can recover from the estate. If the deceased was owed money, the estate can claim it. This page describes the position in England and Wales and, for claims that began before the transfer, Northern Ireland; in Scotland, Attendance Allowance has been replaced by Pension Age Disability Payment, administered by Social Security Scotland.
Attendance Allowance is a tax-free benefit for people who have reached State Pension age and need help with personal care because of a physical or mental disability. GOV.UK gives the two weekly rates as £76.70 and £114.60. Dealing with it after a death is a task that frequently falls to executors and family members who may be unfamiliar with the process. This guide covers what needs to be done and what the estate may be owed.
Attendance Allowance stops from the exact date of death. It is important to notify DWP as quickly as possible to prevent ongoing payments being made into the deceased's bank account that will subsequently need to be returned.
How to notify DWP:
You will need the deceased's National Insurance number, date of birth, full name, and date of death.
Keep the bank statements:
Retain copies of the deceased's bank statements showing all Attendance Allowance payments received. These are essential for reconciling what was paid, identifying the date the last payment covered, and responding to any DWP queries about overpayments or arrears.
GOV.UK gives Attendance Allowance as a weekly rate but does not publish the payment cycle, or whether it runs in advance or in arrears. So the first thing to establish is which period the last payment actually covered. If it ended before the date of death, the estate is owed the balance; if it ran past the date of death, part of it is an overpayment. Ask DWP for a payment history and compare it with the bank statements.
Circumstances in which the estate may be owed arrears:
To claim arrears, contact the Attendance Allowance helpline and ask for a reconciliation of payments made against entitlement. The executor can pursue any outstanding amounts as a debt owed to the estate.
Where a payment covers a period that extends beyond the date of death, the part covering days after the death is an overpayment. GOV.UK confirms that DWP can recover benefit overpayments from a person's estate.
The DWP process:
DWP does not publish a target timescale for settling a deceased claimant's Attendance Allowance account, so no figure is given here. Ask for an expected date when you notify them, and keep a note of it. What DWP will do is:
If you have heard nothing after the date DWP gave you, call the helpline and ask for the status of the final reconciliation.
Attendance Allowance rules for people living in care homes are more complex than for those living at home, and it is important to understand the position before assuming what the estate is owed.
The key rules:
Check funding status before making claims:
If the deceased was in a care home, establish clearly how the care was funded before pursuing arrears from DWP. If the local authority was funding the full cost of care, AA may have already stopped or been substantially reduced. Request a payment history from DWP and compare it against the funding records from the local authority if necessary.