Pension 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:

• £218.15 if you are single
• £332.95 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.

Additional amounts for severe disability:

• £81.50 a week if you are single or for a couple when only one person qualifies
• £163.00 a week if you are a couple and both of you qualify.

Additional amounts for carers:

• £45.60 a week if you are single or for a couple when only one person qualifies
• £91.20 a week if you are a couple and both of you qualify

You can also claim extra amounts for dependent children living with you through Pension Credit.

Our factsheet outlines the qualifying conditions for these.

Savings Credit started being phased out in 2016 and it can only be claimed if you (and your partner, if you have one) reached state pension age by 6 April 2016s now only available to existing recipients. The Savings Credit is for people who have modest savings or retirement income. This credit provides extra money each week of up to:

• £17.01 if you are single
• £19.04 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:

• £189.80 if you are single
• £301.22 if you are a couple

Pensioners can now apply for Pension Credit online by going to:

www.gov.uk/pension-credit/how-to-claim

You can also claim by telephone if you live in England, Wales or Scotland, by calling The Pension Service on 0800 99 1234 between 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday. If you have speech or hearing difficulties, the textphone number is 0800 169 0133. You can also send an application form in the post, please see our Pension Credit factsheet below for details.

You can also apply for help with your rent and council tax at the same time as applying for Pension Credit. Complete a three-page claim form, HCTB1 (PCA).

For Northern Ireland, call the Pension Centre Application Line on 0808 100 6165 or download a form from www.nidirect.gov.uk.

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:

• your National Insurance number
• information about your pensions and other income
• details of your capital, savings and investments.

Pension Credit can be backdated for up to three months if you qualified during that period.

The calculation for Pension Credit, especially the savings credit, is complicated. We have written a factsheet that you can download that explains more about what counts as income or savings for the calculation: