If you have reached state pension age you may be eligible for pension credit.
Pension credit tops up your weekly income and if you have a partner, you must include them on your application.
At July 2022, Pension Credit tops up:
- your weekly income to £182.60 if you’re single
- your joint weekly income to £278.70 if you have a partner.
If your income is above the threshold but you have a disability or care for someone you may still be eligible for Pension Credit.
Eligibility will take into account your State Pension, other pensions, earnings from employment and self-employment and most social security benefits, for example Carer’s Allowance.
The following are not included in the assessment: Adult Disability Payments, Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, social fund payments like Winter Fuel Allowance, Housing Benefit or Council Tax Reductions.
If you have £10,000 or less in savings and investments this will not affect your Pension Credit.
See more on the Government website
If you have a severe disability you could get an extra payment of £69.40 per week in addition to other benefits. If you care for another adult you could get £38.85 per week in addition to other benefits.
If you receive pension credit, you may also be eligible for benefits to cover housing costs such as council tax reduction, housing benefit and support for mortgage interest and you’ll automatically get cold weather payments and you’ll also be eligible to get help with NHS costs, such as prescriptions, dental treatment, glasses and transport costs for hospital appointments
The Additional State Pension
The Additional State Pension is an extra amount of money you could get on top of your basic State Pension if you’re:
- a man born before 6 April 1951 OR
- a woman born before 6 April 1953
The additional state pension is paid with your basic state pension. How much you get depends on:
- how many years you paid National Insurance for
- your earnings
- whether you’ve contracted out of the scheme
- whether you topped up your basic State Pension (this was only possible between 12 October 2015 and 5 April 2017)