Government Help for Pensioners with Disability, or Chronic Illness.
SPAIN Ley de Dependencia ( Law of Dependency Benefits) for care home costs.
or Home Help (SAD) Servicio Ayuda Domicilio
UK Attendance Allowance
For benefits for working age people; on low income ( Spanish IMV) or for UK nationals with chronic conditions see Working Age Benefits.
SPANISH ASSISTENCE
THIS IS FOR HOME CARE AND SUBSIDY OF NURSING HOME COSTS ETC
You may be able to get a home help ( not cleaning) provided by local council (ayuntamiento)
or financial assistance towards the cost of a private nursing home ( about €750 a month)
Also your funds are limited a public funded place in a nursing home ( 1 year wait)
Help Benidorm can offer the assistance of interpreters to facilitate your claim.
Residency Requirements
To apply for Spanish assistance minimum requirements are a Spanish bank account. Residency document, EU green card with NIE or TIE, a passport that is not out of date,
Permanent Spanish Health care with SIP card ( not temporary), and you must be on the Padron (similar to electoral register in UK) for at least one year where you apply.
For Major provision eg help with care home costs you must have official Spanish residency for 5 years. Minor provision eg home help 1 year on the Padrón is sufficient.
Types of assistance
Major provision eg for nursing home costs is provided for under the Ley de Dependencia (Law of Dependancy) and administered by the Valencian regional government.
Minor provision eg home help is provided by the local authority ( Ayuntamiento).
Where to Apply
For home help or help with care home fees apply to your local council ( Ayuntamiento) social services department also known as Bienestar (Welfare). In Benidorm they are based in social centres ( Centro Social) in the zones where you live. Other Ayuntamientos have one central base. Take ID documents and medical report to first appointment.
You will need someone who speaks Spanish to interpret with the social worker.
The applicant does not have to come as well, just their representative, as the social worker will do a home visit later.
For someone in hospital the hospital social worker will arrange home help or care home.
For someone in already in an accredited care home, the care home social worker will do the application of a subsidy under Ley de Dependency. However you need to ask and check progress.
Medical Report
For all Spanish assistance you will first need to get a special report from your health centre.
It is called Informe de Salud para el Reconocimientos de Prestaciones Sociales
You need to make an appointment first with the practice nurse to complete 2 questionnaires then see the doctor for the report.
Home care assistance
Separate from Ley de Dependencia the local council ( Ayuntamiento) may provide less extensive care. eg home help, personal care, meals on wheels. These are usually arranged reasonably quickly as they are provided by the local council. Most councils provide 10 hours a week. In addition there may be a meals on wheels scheme. However most British people do not take to the Spanish style food. This urgent help is limited to the people in greatest need in some Ayuntamientos who have limited funds. This assistance is known as Servicio Ayuda Domicilio (SAD) home aid service. You need to state it is for SAD when making the appointment with the social worker. There may be a €9 charge per home help visit but if you bring documents proving pension income you may be entitled to a 90% discount to €0.9 a visit. You need a Spanish bank account to obtain a home help.
ASSISTANCE WITH NURSING HOME FEES
PROVIDED UNDER LEY DE DEPENDENCIA ( LAW OF DEPENDENCY)
There is a subsidy of about €750 euros a month for aprivate nursing home ( residencia)
of your choice, provided it is on the list of accredited homes ( residencias)
The subsidy is normally 744 euros a month ( as of 2024) under the Ley de Dependencia.
In extreme cases for people with low income and little savings and no immediate family to help out, local councils could find a subsidised place in a nursing home . However there is a l waiting list of about 1 year. This may be a place in a public nursing home or a public subsidised place in a private home. The funding arrangement is that the applicant contributes most of their pension, leaving about 100 euros for incidental expenses and the local council pays the rest of the fees. It takes about 6 months to get this aid.
As of 2026 the cost of a private nursing home, single room is around 2,600 euros a month, though prices vary greatly and a shared room is cheaper.Prices may also vary according to the degree of dependancy and assistance required.
The aid available may be means tested, you will need to provide information on financial position. However you are allowed to keep some savings. Ask the social worker for the limits to savings. For married claimants it is normally based on 50% of a couple’s income and savings depending on their financial arrangements.
For Rincon de Loix, Benidorm the social workers are located at La Torreta Social Centre, Av. Cuidad Real. You can make an appointment at reception for Ley de Dependencia but you must bring a translater with you to the interview.
Body worn alarm
You can also get Ley de Dependencia a body worn alarm system (teleasistencia). There is a waiting list. You can rent them from the Red Cross / Cruz Roja. They charge about €30 a month.
DISABILITY PARKING BADGE
To obtain a Blue Parking Badge and other benefits such as road tax exemption, apply to the social worker at your health centre in Benidorm. Blue Parking Badge comes under disability not dependency. It is the medical social worker at the health centre, if available who arranges this. Getting disability recognition takes about 2 years. Besides a parking badge there are other advantages. You get extra tax relief on Spanish income tax and you may get early retirement if you work in Spain and pay Social Security contributions. You need to take a report from your specialist to the Medical Social Worker handling Discapacidad.
Other Ayuntamientos may have only one social work department that handles both Disability and Dependency
ENGLISH SPEAKING HOME CARE COMPANIES
Home care provided by local authority or under Ley de Dependencia is only provided by companies on their accredited list. If you wish to freely choose another company such as an English speaking one then you may be able to apply for UK attendance allowance to subsidise it. Help can advise you about British care companies in the Benidorm area.
Spanish Carer´s Allowance
If you live with the person you may be able to apply for Spanish Carer´s Allowance. Cuidados en el Entorno Familiar. This you claim under Ley de Dependencia instead of claiming for a home help. It is between 300 and 400 euros a month.
UK BENEFITS YOU CAN CLAIM IN SPAIN
UK nationals who have been resident in Spain before 31st December 2020 can still make new claims for (click on link) ATTENDANCE ALLOWANCE.
Also Carer´s Allowance if pension of carer is under 83 pounds a week.
WHAT YOU WILL GET HIGH RATE 110.40 GBP/WK, LOWER RATE 73.90 GBP/WK (2026)
https://www.gov.uk/uk-benefits-abroad This page is an interactive guide to inform you about which benefits you could claim.
UK attendance allowance is for people over UK pension age only.
It is not means tested. You have to fill in a 28 page form and include a recent comprehensive medical report with translation. There are two levels. For the higher level £110.40 pw (2026)you must need help during day and night or be terminally ill. The lower level £73.90s ( 2026) for people who only need help during the day. To get the higher level it is important to list help needed at night even if it is just being there in case the person falls out of bed or if you have to accompany them to the toilet once in the night.
You just need to have “links” to the UK to apply. This could including working there or living there while married to a UK national or someone working there etc.
Help Benidorm can assist you with the claim. Call (+34) 607 387 040
If you do not have a comprehensive medical report then make an appointment at your health centre for the Spanish benefits report Informe de Salud para el Reconocemiento de Prectaciones Sociales. see above. You will need it translating into English.
There is a fast track claim for people with a life expectancy of less than 6 months. In the UK you normally need a special medical report from your doctor on a DS1500 form. But as they are not available overseas a medical report from the doctor stating a life expectancy of less than six months would be sufficient.
You can download the claim form from the link below or write for one the address below,
or call Attendance allowance helpline +44 800 731 0122
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/attendance-allowance-claim-form
Attendance Allowance if you live abroad Send the letter to:
Mail Handling Site A, Wolverhampton ,WV98 2AD, United Kingdom
Remember to include National Insurance Number on any letter about your claim.
Claims seem to be handled faster if you download the form and type it on a computer and print it off. On the section requiring bank account details, if you have a Spanish bank account enter the IBAN using the free text facility of your PDF reader eg Adobe Acrobat Reader (nib symbol then ABC). In 2025 it was taking about 16 weeks to decide a claim, However it is backdated to date of receiving the application in the UK
Proof of Residency in Spain
You will have to send a photocopy of your residency card with the applications. UK nationals becoming resident in Spain after the 31st Dec 2020 will not be able to claim these benefits.
To prove residency in Spain before 31st of December 2020 you do not need a residency card. Other evidence such as rent receipts, bank details, utility bills etc may suffice.
UK Carer`s Allowance
Once you have attendance allowance it is possible to apply for carer’s allowance of 83 pounds a week ( 2026) including a spouse of any age as long as they provide at least 35 hours of care a week and their income is below about £196 a week ( 2026).For a carer on a UK state pension this can not be more than 83 pounds a week. This is a simple online application in the carer’s name, as most of the information is already stated in the Attendance Allowance application.
Apply at; https://www.gov.uk/carers-allowance/how-to-claim
Living in Spain on a very low pension.
If you have a low pension due to insufficient payment into UK or Spanish state pension schemes you might be able to claim a non contributory Spanish pension if you have lived legally in Spain for 5 years. In 2025 a low pension is below €7,905 a year ( all income)
The non contributory pension tops your income up to €7,905 a year (2025)
Another option is to return to living in the UK and claim UK Pension Credit, see below.
UK State Pension Enquiries
Telephone: +44 (0) 191 218 7777 Mon. to Fri 8.00 am to 7.30 pm UK time.
Returning to UK
If you decide to return to the UK here is a check list of what you should do in Spain before you leave.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/living-in-spain#returning-to-the-uk
We were advised by the British Consul in Alicante in 2019 that people who had been resident in Spain even for as little as six months would probably not be entitled to benefits for the first 3 months upon return unless they were deported. NHS care is available from day one, which means someone could be transferred directly to a NHS hospital.
Otherwise people are advised to privately rent or stay with relatives before applying to the local council for housing or a subsidised care home etc. It does depend on the discretion of the local social service.
Low Income on returning to UK Claim Pension Credit
https://www.gov.uk/pension-credit
If you have a low income and do not have a full UK state pension you may be able to get a top up called Pension Credit once you move back to UK. This may also entitle you to other benefits such as housing benefits. You may be able to claim even if you have other income eg Spanish pension or savings.