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Pension Credit
Extra money for people over State Pension age on a low income. Many pensioners who qualify never claim it, and it opens the door to a lot of other help.
Who can get it
- You've reached State Pension age and live in England, Scotland or Wales (Northern Ireland has the same scheme through nidirect).
- If you live with a partner, you must both have reached State Pension age, unless one of you already gets Pension Credit or Housing Benefit for pensioners.
- Your weekly income is below the amounts below. There's no upper savings limit, but savings over £10,000 count as income.
See what you could get
Answer a few plain questions and get a list of the benefits and help you're likely to get, with amounts and links to apply.
Check what I can getHow much in 2026-27
Guarantee Credit tops your weekly income up to a minimum amount. Extra amounts are added if they apply.
| Amount | Per week |
|---|---|
| Single person | £238.00 |
| Couple | £363.25 |
| Severe disability (you get Attendance Allowance, PIP daily living or similar, and live alone) | £86.05 |
| Severe disability, couple where both qualify | £172.10 |
| Carer (you get or could get Carer's Allowance) | £48.15 |
| Each child or young person | £69.98 |
| First child born before 6 April 2017 | £81.07 |
| Disabled child, lower / higher | £37.93 / £118.46 |
Savings Credit is only for people who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016. It's up to £17.96 a week (single) or £20.10 (couple), for people with some savings or a small private pension.
A worked example
Jean lives alone and gets £190 a week State Pension and £20 a week from an old works pension, so her income is £210. Her minimum is £238.00, so Pension Credit pays the gap: £28 a week, about £1,456 a year. Because she now gets Pension Credit, she can also get her rent paid through Housing Benefit, her full Council Tax covered, the Warm Home Discount and Cold Weather Payments.
How savings count
The first £10,000 is ignored. After that, every £500 (or part of £500) counts as £1 a week of income. So £11,000 in savings counts as £2 a week.
What Pension Credit unlocks
- Housing Benefit for your full eligible rent, and help with service charges.
- Council Tax Reduction, often the whole bill.
- Warm Home Discount (£150) and Cold Weather Payments (£25 a cold week).
- Free TV licence if you're 75 or over.
- Free NHS dental treatment, glasses vouchers and travel to hospital.
How to claim
- Apply on GOV.UK, or call the Pension Credit claim line on 0800 99 1234.
- Northern Ireland: apply on nidirect.
You can apply up to 4 months before you reach State Pension age. Claims can be backdated 3 months if you qualified then.
Sources
Every figure on this page is copied from these official pages, for April 2026 to March 2027 (checked 3 November 2026):
This is a guide, not advice. The office that runs each benefit decides who gets it. Rules can change.