Am I entitled to Pension Credit if I am blind or partially sighted?
Pension Credit is a benefit for anyone who has reached the qualifying age and has a relatively low income. You may get it even if you have some savings and modest retirement income. It can be paid on top of your state retirement pension.
Pension Credit is made up of two parts, each of which have a different qualifying age:
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Guarantee Credit has a qualifying age which is rising with the minimum State Pension age for women. Our factsheet explains more about this.
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Savings Credit is for people aged 65 or over.
You could qualify for both parts and may even receive an additional amount because of your sight loss.
Guarantee Credit
This is the part of Pension Credit that guarantees you a minimum level of income. Should you qualify, the standard minimum you are guaranteed is:
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£145.40 if you are single
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£222.05 if you have a partner.
To qualify, you must be at the qualifying age and your weekly income (including income from savings) must usually be less than the above amounts.
You may still be able to qualify for Pension Credit if your weekly income is over the above amounts. This may be possible if you qualify for an additional amount for severe disability or for being a carer; or if you have eligible housing costs such as mortgage interest. The additional amounts often apply to blind and partially sighted people.
Savings Credit
The Savings Credit is for people aged 65 or over who have modest savings and capital or retirement income. It does not matter if you have a partner who is under 60. This credit provides extra money each week of up to:
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£18.06 if you are single
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£22.89 if you have a partner.
To be able to get the savings Pension Credit you must have qualifying income above the 'savings credit threshold' of:
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£115.30 if you are single
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£183.90 if you are a couple.
How do I apply for Pension Credit?
Call the The Pension Service on 0800 99 1234 between 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday, and 9am to 1pm on Saturday. If you have speech or hearing difficulties, the textphone number is 0800 169 0133.
You can also apply for help with your rent and council tax at the same time as applying for Pension Credit. All you have to do is complete a three-page claim form, HCTB1 (PCA).
Pension Service staff can fill in an application form for you over the phone if you wish. They will then post the completed form to you so that you can check it and sign it.
You will need to provide:
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your National Insurance number
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information about your income
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details of your savings and investments (but only savings over £10,000 will affect the calculation for your Pension Credit).
Pension Credit can be backdated for up to three months as long as you qualified during that period.
Pension Credit - additional amounts for severe disability and for carers
You are entitled to an extra amount for severe disability if:
The extra amount for severe disability is worth:
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£59.50 a week if you are single or for a couple when only one person qualifies
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£119.00 a week for a couple if you both qualify.
You and your partner can also get an extra amount for being a carer. You can get this Carer's Premium either because you get Carer's Allowance or because you could get it but aren't paid it because of your state pension. The Carer's Premium is worth £33.30 a week.
What counts as income for my Pension Credit calculations?
Only certain types of your income are counted when working out your Pension Credit. These include the state pension, an occupational pension or a personal pension and certain benefits. Trust fund income is normally taken into account but should be ignored if the trust fund was set up with money received for a personal injury.
The Pension Service ignore Attendance Allowance and Disability Living Allowance as income but these may lead you to entitlement to or a greater amount of Pension Credit.
What counts as savings for my Pension Credit calculations?
The Pensions Service ignore the first £10,000 of your individual or joint savings and capital when they calculate your Pension Credit. There is no upper savings limit. This also applies if you live permanently in a care home.
The Pensions Service count £1 a week as income for every £500 or part of £500 over £10,000 you have in savings. They do not need to know about any interest or dividends you receive from savings.
The property that you normally live in is ignored but the value of any other property and land is usually counted. Other capital that is counted includes savings and ISAs, shares or unit trusts, premium bonds, and income or capital bonds. Certain capital items may not count such as lump-sum payments because of a personal injury. The Pension Service may ignore arrears of certain state benefits for a period.
Pension Credit and entitlement to Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit
If you are entitled to Guarantee Credit, you will also qualify for Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit regardless of the level of your savings. If you receive savings credit only, you will have to make a separate application for Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit.
Your claim for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit can be backdated for up to three months, as long as you qualified during that period.
Further information
The calculation for Pension Credit, especially the savings credit, is complicated. Please call our Helpline on 0303 123 9999 or email helpline@rnib.org.uk if you want to check if you are entitled to Pension Credit, and for advice about how you may qualify for the additional amounts.
You can also download our factsheet for more information:
Please note that we can only give advice about benefits for people with sight loss and their carers or dependants.