Pension Credit information guide
If you’re over State Pension age and struggling to make ends meet, you might be entitled to Pension Credit. Download...
If you're over State Pension age and finding it tricky to make ends meet, you might be able to claim Pension Credit to top up your income. It comes in two parts: Guarantee Credit and Savings Credit.
Pension Credit is a means-tested benefit for people over State Pension age who have a low income. It comes in 2 parts: Guarantee Credit and Savings Credit. It's separate from your State Pension.
Pension Credit comes in 2 parts. You might be eligible for one or both parts.
Guarantee Credit tops up your weekly income to a guaranteed minimum level. This level is currently:
Savings Credit is extra money if you've got some savings or if your income is higher than the basic State Pension. It's available to people who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016. You could get up to:
By claiming Pension Credit, you might become eligible for other benefits too, such as help with health and housing costs. We've outlined these below.
There are different eligibility requirements for each of the parts of Pension Credit.
You might be eligible for Guarantee Credit if you've reached State Pension age. This is currently 66 for both men and women.
If you've reached State Pension age, you can claim Guarantee Credit if your weekly income is less than:
Even if your weekly income is higher than these thresholds, you could still claim Guarantee Credit if you meet one of the following criteria:
If you reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016 – or if you're a couple and both of you did – you might be eligible to claim Savings Credit.
There isn’t a savings limit for Pension Credit. However, if you have over £10,000 in savings, this will affect how much you receive.
If you're a mixed age couple (meaning only one of you is over State Pension age), you normally have to claim Universal Credit until you've both reached State Pension age. Then you might be eligible to claim Pension Credit as a couple.
Do you know what benefits you're entitled to? Our online benefits calculator can help you quickly and easily find out what you could be claiming.
To claim Pension Credit, you can either:
It can be helpful to have the following details to hand before you get started:
If you need help at any stage, contact your local Age UK.
Claiming Pension Credit doesn't just top up your income – it could help you get other benefits, too.
You have nothing to lose by applying, and potentially a lot to gain – and if you've previously been turned down, you can still make a new claim each year.
We offer support through our free advice line on 0800 678 1602. Lines are open 8am-7pm, 365 days a year. We also have specialist advisers at over 120 local Age UKs.
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