Could you be missing out on Pension Credit?

Pension Credit is one of the most valuable forms of help for older people, and also one of the most overlooked. It tops up the income of people over State Pension age who are on a lower income, it is worth on average around £4,000 a year, and just as importantly, it can open the door to a whole range of other help.

Hundreds of thousands of older households who could claim it never do, usually because they assume they will not qualify, that their savings rule them out, or that it is too much hassle. Very often, none of those things are true. Checking takes only a few minutes, and it could make a real difference.

Could you get it?

You may be able to claim if you have reached State Pension age (currently 66, and rising in stages to 67 between 2026 and 2028), you live in England, Scotland or Wales, and your income is on the lower side.

Pension Credit comes in two parts, and you can get one or both:

• Guarantee Credit is the main part. It tops your weekly income up to a minimum level.
• Savings Credit is a smaller, older top-up, and these days it is only for people who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016.

How much you could get

For 2026/27, Guarantee Credit tops your weekly income up to £238.00 if you are single, or £363.25 if you are a couple. So if your weekly income is below those figures, you are likely to be due something. You may get more than this if you are a carer, if you are severely disabled, or if you have certain housing costs.

If you qualify for Savings Credit as well, that is worth up to around £18 a week for a single person. The figures are reviewed and usually rise each April.

Please do not rule yourself out

This is where so many people miss out, so it is worth saying clearly:

• Savings do not shut you out. There is no upper savings limit for the main Guarantee Credit. The first £10,000 of savings is ignored completely, and above that only a small amount of assumed income is counted. Having some savings simply reduces the top-up, it does not stop you qualifying.
• Owning your home does not count against you. The value of your home is ignored.
• Even a small award is worth having. Being awarded even £1 a week of Guarantee Credit acts as a passport to other help, so it is well worth claiming even a modest amount.
• You can get it alongside your State Pension. Your State Pension counts as income, but it does not stop you claiming the top-up.

The real value: what it unlocks

The weekly top-up is only half the story. Being on Pension Credit can also bring:

• help with your Council Tax
• help with your rent, or with mortgage interest if you own your home
• a free TV licence if you are aged 75 or over
• the Warm Home Discount and Cold Weather Payments, and your Winter Fuel Payment in full
• free NHS dental treatment, glasses and prescriptions
• help towards care costs

Together, these extras are often worth well over £1,000 a year on top of the Pension Credit itself. And if you receive Attendance Allowance, claiming Pension Credit can include an extra amount, a severe disability addition worth over £80 a week, so the two are well worth claiming together.

How to claim

The simplest way is to phone the Pension Credit claim line on 0800 99 1234, or you can apply online at gov.uk/pension-credit. It usually takes about 20 minutes. Before you start, it helps to have your National Insurance number, details of your income and savings, and your bank details to hand.

Claims can be backdated by up to three months, so if you think you have been missing out, it is worth claiming sooner rather than later. And you do not have to do it alone, as there is free help available to check whether you qualify and to fill in the claim (see below).

One note for couples: you generally both need to have reached State Pension age to make a new claim. If one of you is younger, you would usually look at Universal Credit instead, and an adviser can help you work out which applies.

Where to get help, locally and nationally

Close to home, across Chesterfield, Bolsover and North East Derbyshire:

• Citizens Advice, for a free benefits check and help to claim. For Bolsover and North East Derbyshire, call 0808 250 5702 (9am to 2pm, Monday to Friday). For the Chesterfield Borough area, find your local office at citizensadvice.org.uk.
• Derbyshire County Council's adult care service, which offers free benefits checks.

Across the country:

• The Pension Credit claim line, on 0800 99 1234.
• GOV.UK, at gov.uk/pension-credit, which also has a free calculator to check what you might get.