Pension Credit 2026/27: Rates, Eligibility and How to Claim
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Pension Credit tops up your weekly income to £238 if you are single, or £363.25 if you have a partner. You can claim it if you have reached State Pension age and live in England, Scotland or Wales, even if you have other income, savings or your own home. Northern Ireland has its own claim route with the same rates.
Key points
✓Pension Credit tops up your weekly income to £238 (single) or £363.25 (couple) from April 2026
✓You must have reached State Pension age; you can apply up to 4 months before you do
✓A claim can only be backdated 3 months, so every week you wait can cost you money
✓Extra amounts raise the top-up if you are severely disabled, a carer, responsible for a child or have housing costs
✓Even a small award means you can also get Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, help with NHS costs and a free TV licence at 75
✓Claim on 0800 99 1234 in England, Scotland and Wales, or 0808 100 6165 in Northern Ireland
What Pension Credit is
Pension Credit gives you extra money to help with your living costs if you are over State Pension age and on a low income. It can also help with housing costs such as ground rent or service charges. It is separate from your State Pension.
It has two parts. Guarantee Credit tops up your income to a weekly minimum and adds extra amounts for your circumstances. Savings Credit is a smaller extra for some people who saved for retirement, and only if you reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016.
You can get Pension Credit even if you have other income, savings or own your own home. It is worth checking with our eligibility guide or calculator guide before you rule yourself out.
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Guarantee Credit tops your income up to the standard minimum guarantee. These are the 2026/27 weekly rates:
Part of Pension Credit
Weekly amount, 2026/27
Standard minimum guarantee, single
£238.00
Standard minimum guarantee, couple
£363.25
Severe disability, one of you qualifies
£86.05
Severe disability, both partners qualify
£172.10
Carer, each person who qualifies
£48.15
First child born before 6 April 2017
£81.07
Each other child or young person
£69.98
Disabled child, lower rate
£37.93
Disabled child, higher rate
£118.46
Savings Credit, maximum, single
£17.96
Savings Credit, maximum, couple
£20.10
The minimum guarantee rose by 4.8% in April 2026, to £238.00 for a single pensioner and £363.25 for a couple. The extra amounts are added to the minimum guarantee, so they raise the level your income has to fall below. Our calculator guide shows the sums with worked examples.
The severe disability amount is not automatic when you get Attendance Allowance, PIP daily living or a similar benefit. The regulations also require that no other adult aged 18 or over normally lives with you, with some exceptions, and that nobody is paid Carer's Allowance or carer support payment for looking after you. The eligibility guide explains who does not count as another adult.
Housing costs can also add to the amount, for example ground rent on a leasehold property, some service charges and charges for tents and site rents. The amount depends on your costs.
Who can claim
You must live in England, Scotland or Wales and have reached State Pension age. Check the date on our State Pension age guide.
If you have a partner, you must include them on your application. You are eligible if either:
✓Yes: you and your partner have both reached State Pension age
✓Yes: one of you is getting Housing Benefit for people over State Pension age
Your income and savings are then assessed. Savings of £10,000 or less do not affect your claim. For the full rules on income, savings, deferred pensions and time spent abroad, see the Pension Credit eligibility guide.
How to claim Pension Credit
You can start your application up to 4 months before you reach State Pension age. You can apply any time after that, but a claim can only be backdated by 3 months. That means you can get up to 3 months of Pension Credit in your first payment if you were eligible during that time.
You will need the following for you and your partner, if you have one:
✓Yes: National Insurance number
✓Yes: information about any income, savings and investments you have
✓Yes: information about your income, savings and investments on the date you want to backdate your application to, usually 3 months ago or the date you reached State Pension age
✓Yes: your bank account details
1
Apply online
You can use the online service if you have already applied for your State Pension.
2
Or apply by phone
Call the Pension Credit claim line on 0800 99 1234, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. A friend or family member can call for you if you cannot use the phone.
3
Or apply by post
Print and fill in the Pension Credit claim form, or call the claim line to request one, and send it to Freepost DWP Pensions Service 3. Write nothing except the freepost address on the envelope. You do not need a postcode or a stamp.
Relay UK users can dial 18001 then 0800 99 1234. You can ask a voluntary organisation such as Citizens Advice or Age UK for help with the form. Our benefits contact numbers page has the other DWP lines.
Other help you can get with Pension Credit
If you get Pension Credit you can also get other help, such as:
✓Yes: Housing Benefit if you rent the property you live in
✓Yes: Support for Mortgage Interest if you own the property you live in
✓Yes: a Council Tax Reduction
✓Yes: Cold Weather Payments, called Winter Heating Payments in Scotland
✓Yes: a free TV licence if you are aged 75 or over
✓Yes: help with NHS dental treatment, glasses and transport costs for hospital appointments, if you get the Guarantee Credit part
✓Yes: help with your heating costs through the Warm Home Discount Scheme
✓Yes: a discount on the Royal Mail redirection service if you are moving house
You need to report changes to you and your partner's personal and financial circumstances. Your claim might be stopped or reduced if you do not report a change straight away, and some changes will increase the amount you could get. Changes include:
✓Yes: moving to a new address, or people moving in or out of your house
✓Yes: starting or stopping living with a partner, or a partner dying
✓Yes: going into hospital or a care home
✓Yes: leaving England, Scotland and Wales for any period, for example going on holiday
✓Yes: changes to occupational or personal pensions, savings, investments or property
✓Yes: changes to your housing costs or the benefits anyone in your home gets
Report a change on the Pension Service helpline, 0800 731 0469, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, or by post to the address on your Pension Credit letters. You could be taken to court or have to pay a penalty if you give wrong information or do not report a change.
If you start living with a partner who is under State Pension age, you will stop getting Pension Credit, and you can start again when your partner reaches State Pension age. You might be entitled to Universal Credit instead, but you and your partner cannot get both at the same time. The rules are on our eligibility guide.
If you disagree with a decision
You can challenge a decision about your Pension Credit application by asking for mandatory reconsideration. You usually need to ask within one month of the date on your decision letter. You can ask after one month if you have a good reason, for example if you have been in hospital or had a bereavement, but you must explain why your request is late.
You cannot appeal to the tribunal until you get your mandatory reconsideration notice. See our mandatory reconsideration guide for how to ask and what evidence helps.
Pension Credit in Northern Ireland and Scotland
In Northern Ireland, Pension Credit is run by the Department for Communities through the Northern Ireland Pension Centre, not DWP. The rates are the same: £238 for a single person and £363.25 for a couple. You apply by phone on the Pension Credit application line, 0808 100 6165, Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm, online, or by post to DFC Pension Credit, Mail Handling Site A, Wolverhampton, WV98 2HZ.
Instead of Council Tax Reduction, people in Northern Ireland can be eligible for Rates Relief. If you disagree with a decision, ask the Northern Ireland Pension Centre to look at it again within one month, using the MR2(NI) form if you like, then appeal to an Independent Appeal Tribunal.
Scotland is covered by the same DWP claim route as England and Wales. One difference is the heating help: Scotland has Winter Heating Payments rather than Cold Weather Payments.
Keep track of your case
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Frequently asked questions
What is Pension Credit?
It is extra money for people over State Pension age on a low income. Guarantee Credit tops your weekly income up to £238 if you are single or £363.25 as a couple, with extra amounts for severe disability, caring, children and housing costs. Savings Credit is a smaller extra for some people who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016.
How much is Pension Credit a week in 2026/27?
The standard minimum guarantee is £238.00 a week for a single person and £363.25 for a couple. Pension Credit pays the difference between your income and that figure, plus any extra amounts you qualify for. So the amount you get depends on your income.
Can I get Pension Credit if I have savings or own my home?
Yes. You can get Pension Credit even if you have other income, savings or own your own home. Savings of £10,000 or less do not affect it. Above that, every £500 counts as £1 of weekly income, so £11,000 in savings counts as £2 a week.
How do I apply for Pension Credit?
You can apply online if you have already applied for your State Pension, by phone on 0800 99 1234 (0808 100 6165 in Northern Ireland), or by post using the claim form. You can start up to 4 months before you reach State Pension age.
Can Pension Credit be backdated?
Yes, but only by 3 months. If you were eligible during that time, you can get up to 3 months of Pension Credit in your first payment. Claim as soon as you think you might qualify, because anything older is lost.
Does Pension Credit give me a free TV licence?
If you get Pension Credit and are aged 75 or over, you can apply for a free TV licence. You can also get Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, Cold Weather Payments and help with NHS costs, depending on which part of Pension Credit you get.
I am under State Pension age but my partner is over. Can we claim?
Not usually. You are eligible if you and your partner have both reached State Pension age, or if one of you gets Housing Benefit for people over State Pension age. If you cannot get Pension Credit, you might be able to claim Universal Credit instead, but you cannot get both at once.
Who runs Pension Credit in Northern Ireland?
The Department for Communities, through the Northern Ireland Pension Centre. The rates are the same as the rest of the UK, but you claim on 0808 100 6165 and you can get Rates Relief instead of Council Tax Reduction.
Know Your Rights UK. "Pension Credit 2026/27: Rates, Eligibility and How to Claim." Know Your Rights UK, https://www.knowyourrightsuk.com/benefits/pension-credit