Scotland replaces Attendance Allowance with Pension Age Disability Payment

Attendance Allowance has been replaced in Scotland by Pension Age Disability Payment (PADP), a benefit administered by Social Security Scotland¹. The Scottish Fiscal Commission describes PADP as the Scottish Government's replacement for Attendance Allowance, for people over State Pension age who need someone to help look after them because of a disability or long-term health condition². It says the payment had a national launch in April 2025 and that case transfers were completed by the end of 2025².

The rollout was staged. Turn2us reports that people in Scotland getting Attendance Allowance began to be automatically transferred to the new payment in January 2025³. PADP was then made available in 13 more local authority areas from 24 March 2025, and available throughout Scotland from 22 April 2025³. The Mental Health and Money Advice service states that from April 2025 onwards Scotland replaced Attendance Allowance with Pension Age Disability Payment¹.

Attendance Allowance itself remains for people over State Pension age whose mental health or physical condition means they need help looking after themselves¹. Claimants must have needed help for at least the past six months, be a UK resident and in the UK when claiming, and not be subject to immigration control¹. There are two rates: a lower rate for those who need frequent help or someone to watch them during the day or night, also called supervision, and a higher rate for those who are terminally ill or need help or supervision all the time¹. The source does not give the cash amounts of either rate, referring readers to published rate tables instead¹.

Attendance Allowance can be received alongside certain other benefits, including Pension Credit, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction, and in some cases those benefits can go up¹. It cannot be received at the same time as Disability Living Allowance or Personal Independence Payment¹. The Mental Health and Money Advice service says that in some cases it is better to apply for another benefit over Attendance Allowance, and that a benefits adviser can help decide which to claim¹.

Why it matters for households

Pensioners in Scotland who need help with daily living because of a disability or long-term health condition now claim PADP from Social Security Scotland rather than Attendance Allowance from the Department for Work and Pensions¹. The Mental Health and Money Advice service lists Social Security Scotland as the administering body, with a phone line on 0800 182 2222, and Citizens Advice Scotland on 0800 028 1456¹. Attendance Allowance claims in Northern Ireland continue to be handled by the Department for Communities, with the Disability and Carers Service on 0800 587 0912¹.

Because entitlement to Attendance Allowance can increase other benefits such as Pension Credit, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction, the switch of payment affects more than the disability payment itself for households in Scotland¹. The Scottish Fiscal Commission says its PADP forecast includes estimated additional spending arising from differences between PADP and the Attendance Allowance it replaced².

What happens next

The Scottish Fiscal Commission states that PADP case transfers were completed by the end of 2025². Turn2us notes that in Scotland the new Pension Age Winter Heating Payment is expected to be launched in November 2025, replacing the Winter Fuel Payment³. The same timetable says the Winter Heating Payment 2025/26 is expected to be paid to eligible households in Scotland in December 2025³.