If you're on a low income, there is help available to boost your state pension. This comes in the form of pension credit.
Pension credit is a means-tested benefit, meaning it's awarded to you based on your earnings.
It's made up of two parts: guarantee credit and savings credit. You may be eligible for one or both.
Pension credit is worth around £3,300 a year on average for claimants, but around a third of people who are eligible fail to claim it, according to the government.
This guide explains how pension credit works, and who's eligible for it.
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What is guarantee credit?
Guarantee credit tops up your weekly income to £201.05 for single people and £306.85 for couples in 2023-24. To qualify for it, you must:
live in the UK
have reached pension-credit qualifying age (the same as state pension age)
have weekly income below £201.05 if you're single and £306.85 if you're in a couple.
If you're a carer, have severe disabilities or certain housing costs, you might qualify for more guarantee credit.
When you apply for guarantee credit, the government looks at all of your income.
This includes both your basic and additional state pension, any income from other pensions, income from any jobs you have and any savings over £10,000.
Some benefits, such as housing benefit, council tax reduction and attendance allowance, aren't included, nor are your personal possessions or your home.
Additional pension credit benefits
Depending on your circumstances, there are some additional allowances that may be added to your Guarantee Credit entitlement.
If you're a carer and are entitled to Carer's Allowance, you could get an additional £42.75 per week (2023-24) with the Carer Addition.
If you're severely disabled and eligible for disability benefits, you could get an additional £76.40 per week (2023-24) with the Severe Disability Addition.
If you're responsible for a child or you have to pay housing costs, you may also be eligible for a higher amount.
You may also be entitled to Warm Home Discount - a payment of £150 (2023-24) to help those struggling to pay their energy bills during winter.
It's worth claiming Pension Credit even if you're only entitled to a few pounds. This is because it can help you to qualify for other benefits.
For example, receiving Guarantee Credit means that you can apply for pension-age Housing Benefit if you rent your home. If you own your home and pay housing-related charges, you may also be eligible for extra amounts within Pension Credit, and you may also qualify for Council Tax Reduction.
What is savings credit?
The government will give people a little extra money to reward them for saving towards their retirement. This comes in the form of savings credit.
Savings credit is only available for people who reached state retirement age before April 2016. However, if you're in a couple and your partner reached state pension age before 6 April 2016, you could still qualify.
There's a few criteria that you needed to meet (and still do) before you qualified for savings credit:
you have a minimum income of £174.49 a week if you're single, and £277.12 a week if you're in a couple in 2023-24
you reached state pension age before 6 April 2016
you must be living in the UK
you must have made some provisions for your retirement, such as savings or a second pension.
The maximum savings credit you can get per week is £15.94 for a single person and £17.84 for couples.
However, the more money you have, the less you get in savings credit.
For every £1 by which your income exceeds the savings-credit threshold (£174.49 a week if you're single, and £277.12 a week if you're in a couple), your savings credit is reduced by 40p.
All of your income is added together to work out how much you'll get.
If you have any savings, the first £10,000 isn't counted. Then every £500 you have over that amount counts as £1 of income.
Pension credit calculator
There is a pension credit calculator on the gov.uk website to help you check your eligibility for pension credit.
The calculator will also give you an estimate of the pension credit payment you are due for based on your earnings, benefits, pensions, savings and investments.
How do I claim pension credit?
There are two ways you can claim pension credit.
You can either post form PC1 (downloadable from the Gov.uk website) to your local pension centre, or phone The Pension Service on 0800 99 1234.
Visit The Pension Service's Find your pension centre page to find out where yours is and how to contact it.
To claim, you will need your National Insurance number, information about your income, savings and investments and your bank account details,
Pension credit: FAQ
To claim guarantee credit, you need to have reached the pension credit qualifying age, which is the same as the current state pension age.
The pension credit qualifying age is gradually rising in line with changes to the state pension age.
The state pension age is currently 66 and due to increase to 67 between 2026 and 2028. Thereafter, the state pension age is expected to rise again to 68 between 2037 and 2039.
To qualify for savings credit, you'll need to have reached state pension age before 6 April 2016.
Pension credit can be claimed for you and your partner. Your husband, wife, civil partner or someone you live with as though you are married/civil partners will count as your partner.
Up until May 2019, only the claimant has had to be over the qualifying age, your partner could be younger.
From 15 May 2019 onward, 'mixed-age' couples - where one person has reached state pension age (SPA), but the other hasn't - will be unable to claim pension credit until the youngest partner reaches SPA.
Mixed-age couples with a partner under state pension age, who are already receiving pension credit, will be unaffected as long as their circumstances don't change.
If you have a partner, the income and capital of both of you is taken into account when your pension credit is calculated.
It can be backdated for up to three months as long as you have satisfied the entitlement conditions during that period. You'll need to request backdating on the claim form as it is not automatic.
A pension credit claim can also be lodged up to four months in advance if you are approaching the qualifying age or are about to become entitled for another reason. This allows time for the claim to be processed.
Pension credit payments go directly into your bank, building society or post office account.
It can be paid to someone with power of attorney or an appointee if you are not able to act for yourself.
A claimant is given the option of weekly, fortnightly or four-weekly payments.
If you live in a care home, or move into a care home, you may still be entitled to pension credit.
However, those with a partner may no longer count as a couple if one of you is permanently resident in a care home.
If you are a temporary resident in a care home, perhaps for respite or a trial period, and your pension credit includes housing costs, these can usually continue to be paid for up to 13 weeks and sometimes for up to 52 weeks.
You can't get pension credit if you move abroad permanently.
If you leave the country temporarily, your pension credit can continue to be paid as normal, but not for longer than:
- 4 weeks where the absence is not expected to exceed 4 weeks.
- 8 weeks where the absence is not expected to exceed 8 weeks and is in connection with the death of your partner or another close relative you normally live with.
- 26 weeks where the absence is not expected to exceed 26 weeks and is solely in connection with you, your partner or your child receiving medical treatment.
You must intend to return within these periods at the date of departure.