Pension Credit Calculator Guide: Worked Examples 2026/27
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Your Guarantee Credit is the difference between your weekly income and your minimum guarantee, which is £238 if you are single or £363.25 with a partner, plus any extra amounts you qualify for. If your income is below that figure, you get the gap. This guide shows the sum with worked examples, and explains when the official GOV.UK calculator cannot give you an answer.
Key points
✓Guarantee Credit = your minimum guarantee minus your weekly income; the minimum is £238 (single) or £363.25 (couple) plus extra amounts
✓A full basic State Pension of £184.90 leaves a single person £53.10 a week short of £238, so they could get that top-up
✓A full new State Pension of £241.30 is already above £238, but the £86.05 severe disability amount can still bring you within reach
✓Savings over £10,000 count as £1 of weekly income for every £500, or part of £500
✓The GOV.UK calculator only gives an estimate, and cannot be used if you are self-employed, deferring your State Pension or own other property
✓Claiming is free and a claim can be backdated 3 months, so ring the claim line if the calculator will not work for you
How Pension Credit is worked out
The law sets the sum out in section 2 of the State Pension Credit Act 2002. If you have no income, your Guarantee Credit is the whole of your minimum guarantee. If you have income, it is the difference between your minimum guarantee and your income. The minimum guarantee is the standard minimum guarantee plus any extra amounts that apply to you.
Start with the standard minimum guarantee: £238.00 if you are single, £363.25 if you have a partner.
Add any extra amounts: severe disability, carer, children or housing costs.
Add up your weekly income, and your partner's if you have one, including any income counted from savings over £10,000.
If your income is lower, the difference is your weekly Guarantee Credit.
What counts as income, and what does not, is set out on our eligibility guide. Attendance Allowance, PIP, Child Benefit and Housing Benefit are not counted. State Pension, other pensions and earnings are.
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Your weekly income has to be below your minimum guarantee for you to get Guarantee Credit. These are the limits for 2026/27, with the extra amounts added:
Your situation
Weekly income must be below
Single, no extra amounts
£238.00
Single, severe disability amount
£324.05
Single, carer amount
£286.15
Couple, no extra amounts
£363.25
If you qualify for more than one extra amount, add them together. Children, a disabled child and housing costs raise the limit further.
Worked examples
These examples use the 2026/27 rates and assume State Pension is the only income. Your own award depends on all of your income and circumstances, so treat them as illustrations rather than a quote.
Single person on the full basic State Pension
The full basic State Pension is £184.90 a week. The gap to the £238.00 minimum is £53.10, so a single person with no other income could get £53.10 a week of Guarantee Credit.
Single person on the full new State Pension
The full new State Pension is £241.30 a week, which is already above £238.00, so there is no basic top-up. But if you also qualify for the severe disability amount, for example you get Attendance Allowance, no other adult lives with you and no one is paid to care for you, your limit rises to £324.05. That leaves a gap of £82.75 a week.
A couple where one partner has the full basic State Pension
The couple minimum is £363.25. If one partner gets the full basic State Pension of £184.90 a week and the other has no income, the gap is £178.35 a week.
Savings of £11,000
Savings of £11,000 are £1,000 over the £10,000 limit. Every £500 counts as £1, so £2 a week is added to your income. A single person with a £184.90 State Pension then has £186.90 of income, and could get £51.10 a week.
Savings are not the only thing to count. A workplace pension, a small earnings amount or a partner's income all reduce the gap, so add every source of income before you decide you will not qualify. An award of any size is worth claiming for the extra help that comes with it.
Savings Credit
Savings Credit is calculated separately and is only for people who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016 and saved some money for retirement, for example a personal or workplace pension. It is worth up to £17.96 a week if you are single or £20.10 with a partner. You might still get some Savings Credit even if you do not get Guarantee Credit. The official calculator works out both parts.
Using the official GOV.UK calculator
GOV.UK has a Pension Credit calculator that gives you an estimate of how much Pension Credit you may be entitled to. It only gives an estimate and should only be used as a guide. Before you start, have details of your earnings, benefits and pensions, and your savings and investments, and the same for your partner if you have one.
The calculator cannot work out your eligibility or how much you could get if you or your partner:
✗No: are self-employed
✗No: own any other property or land, apart from the place where you live
✗No: pay housing costs other than mortgage payments or rent, such as service charges, co-ownership payments, ground rents, Crown tenant rent, rentcharges, or tent or camp charges
✗No: are delaying (deferring) your State Pension
✗No: are under State Pension age
✗No: get Pension Age Disability Payment
If any of these apply you might still be eligible. The calculator tells you to check the eligibility rules or call the Pension Credit claim line on 0800 99 1234, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. If you or your partner are deferring your State Pension, it points you to the Pension Service helpline on 0800 731 0469 instead.
If you are not eligible because you or your partner are under State Pension age and neither of you gets Housing Benefit for people over State Pension age, the calculator says so, and suggests you might be eligible for Universal Credit.
Northern Ireland
nidirect has its own Pension Credit estimate tool. It asks for the net figure for all your taxable income, and cannot be used if you or your partner are deferring your State Pension, own more than one property, are self-employed, or have housing costs that are neither mortgage repayments nor rent covered by Housing Benefit. If you cannot use it, contact the Northern Ireland Pension Centre. The estimate may be wrong if you give incorrect or incomplete information, if your circumstances change, or if benefit rates and rules change.
Do not wait for an estimate
You can apply any time after you reach State Pension age, but a claim can only be backdated by 3 months. If an estimate comes out at a small amount, it is still worth claiming, because if you get Pension Credit you can also get other help, such as Housing Benefit, a Council Tax Reduction, help with NHS costs and, at 75 or over, a free TV licence. Our Pension Credit guide shows how to claim.
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The guides on this site are free and always will be. If your problem will take weeks or months, the Claim Workspace is a free workspace to keep your deadline, your evidence and every call and letter together.
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Frequently asked questions
How is Pension Credit calculated?
Guarantee Credit is the difference between your minimum guarantee and your weekly income. The minimum guarantee is £238.00 for a single person or £363.25 for a couple, plus extra amounts for severe disability, caring, children and housing costs. Savings over £10,000 count as £1 of income for every £500.
How much Pension Credit will I get?
It depends on your income. A single person with only a full basic State Pension of £184.90 could get £53.10 a week. Someone on the full new State Pension of £241.30 does not get a basic top-up, but could get Pension Credit if they qualify for the £86.05 severe disability amount.
Is there a Pension Credit calculator on GOV.UK?
Yes, GOV.UK has a Pension Credit calculator that gives an estimate only. It cannot be used if you or your partner are self-employed, own other property or land, pay housing costs other than mortgage or rent, are deferring your State Pension, are under State Pension age or get Pension Age Disability Payment.
What income does Pension Credit take into account?
State Pension, other pensions, earnings and most social security benefits such as Carer's Allowance. Attendance Allowance, PIP, Child Benefit, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction are not counted. Savings over £10,000 are counted as an amount of weekly income.
Can I get Pension Credit on the new State Pension?
The full new State Pension of £241.30 is above the £238 single minimum, so there is no basic top-up. You could still get Pension Credit if you qualify for extra amounts, such as £86.05 for severe disability or £48.15 as a carer, which raise your limit.
What if the Pension Credit calculator will not work for me?
You might still be eligible. Call the Pension Credit claim line on 0800 99 1234 in England, Scotland and Wales, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, or the Northern Ireland Pension Centre if you live there.
Know Your Rights UK. "Pension Credit Calculator Guide: Worked Examples 2026/27." Know Your Rights UK, https://www.knowyourrightsuk.com/benefits/pension-credit/calculator