Benefits for mixed age couples
Being part of a mixed age couple affects which benefits you can claim. Find out if this affects you and what you...
If you own your home and are having trouble paying the interest on your mortgage, you might be eligible for a Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) loan.
Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) is a loan to help you pay for the interest on mortgage payments or other eligible home improvement loans. It's also known as Help with Housing Costs.
If you have enough equity in your property, you'll eventually pay back what you borrowed – either when your property is sold, its ownership is transferred, or it forms part of your estate after your death.
If you don't receive Pension Credit, you could get help paying interest on up to £200,000 of your mortgage or loan.
If you do receive Pension Credit, you could get help on up to £100,000 of your mortgage or loan.
In most cases, the SMI payment is made directly to your lender. Interest is currently calculated at a rate of 3.16%.
You'll be charged 'compound' interest on an SMI loan, which means each month's interest is added to your total borrowed amount when the next month's interest is calculated.
Compound interest on an SMI loan can sometimes mount up more quickly than you'd expect, leaving you with less equity in your home. It's important to consider your options carefully before going ahead.
You might be eligible for SMI if you receive one of the following benefits:
As well as claiming one of the above benefits, you also need to be liable to pay interest on your mortgage or have an eligible home improvement loan.
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.
How you should apply for SMI depends on what other benefits you currently receive.
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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