Pension Credit

To qualify for Pension Credit, you must have reached State Pension age. Use the Gov.uk online tool to check when you'll reach State Pension age.

There are two types of Pension Credit:

• Guarantee Credit
• Savings Credit.

To qualify for Guarantee Credit, your weekly income will need to be less than the minimum amount the government says you need to live on. For 2025/26, this is £227.10 for a single person and £346.60 for a couple. This amount could be higher if you're disabled, a carer, are responsible for children or have certain housing costs.

You can only get Savings Credit if:

• you reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016, or you have a partner who reached State Pension age before this date and was already getting it
• and you have qualifying income of at least £198.27 a week for a single person and £314.34 a week for a couple.

Read our factsheet Pension Credit for more information.

Use our free benefits calculator to work out if you might be able to get Pension Credit. You can also contact our Helpline to speak to an adviser.

Guarantee Credit tops up your weekly income to:

• £227.10 for a single person
• £346.60 for a couple (married, in a civil partnership or living together).

You might be able to get more than this if you're disabled, a carer, are responsible for children or you have certain housing costs. See our factsheet Pension Credit for more information.

Savings Credit can give you up to:

• £17.30 a week for a single person
• £19.36 a week for a couple (married, in a civil partnership or living together).

The exact amount you’ll get depends on your income.

Savings, investments or other capital of more than £10,000 will also affect how much you get. For every £500 (or part of £500) you have over £10,000, it’s assumed you have an extra £1 of weekly income.

Here's an example:

Mr Smith is 76 years old. He is not a carer and he has no health conditions or personal care needs. He is single, rents his home and has a State Pension of £140.18 a week and an occupational pension of £25 a week. He also has savings of £11,000. The first £10,000 are ignored, and an extra £1 of income is counted for every £500 above this. This means he has an assumed income from savings of £2 a week. So, his income is calculated as:

• £140.18 State Pension + £25.00 occupational pension + £2.00 assumed income = £167.18 total income
• Mr Smith’s appropriate minimum guarantee is £227.10
• £227.10 appropriate minimum guarantee – £167.18 income = £59.92

This gives him Guarantee Credit of £59.92 a week.

If you get Pension Credit, you may qualify for other benefits, including:

• Housing Benefit if you rent
• reduced Council Tax
• Cold Weather Payments or a Winter Heating Payment  (in Scotland)
• a Warm Home Discount
• help with NHS costs, including free dental treatment and travel costs for NHS treatment
• help with the cost of glasses and contact lenses.

If you’re 75 or over, you can also apply for a free TV licence.

To apply for Pension Credit, call the claim line on 0800 99 1234. You can also claim online if you've already applied for your State Pension. Or you can download an application form to print out. You won't need a stamp when you return your form.

You can apply for Pension Credit up to four months before you reach State Pension age, and any time after. Claims for Pension Credit can be backdated by up to three months if you qualified for it for the whole of that period. 

When you claim, you’ll need the following information:

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

If you have a partner, you'll need the same details for them too.

If you need support to fill in the form, one of our advisers can help you complete it. Contact our Helpline. Or you could get help from your local Citizens Advice. Search the Citizens Advice website for England and Wales or visit Citizens Advice Scotland to find your nearest branch.

You cannot usually make a new claim for Pension Credit if you live with a partner who is under State Pension age unless:

1. one of you reached State Pension age before 15 May 2019, and
2. one of you has been claiming pension age Housing Benefit since 15 May 2019 as part of the same couple. 

If you cannot claim Pension Credit, you may be able to claim Universal Credit instead, until you both reach State Pension age. Contact the Universal Credit helpline on 0800 328 5644 for more information.