Stephen Morgan MP has recently launched a campaign to raise awareness of Pension Credit and promote uptake of the benefit among those of retirement age in Portsmouth. More information on eligibility and how to apply can be found here.
What is Pension Credit?
Pension Credit is a tax-free income-related benefit for those who have reached the qualifying age and live in Great Britain (GB). You do not need to have paid National Insurance contributions to be eligible to claim Pension Credit.
Pension Credit gives you extra money to help with your living costs if you’re over State Pension age and on a low income. Pension Credit can also help with housing costs such as ground rent or service charges.
Am I eligible?
You must live in England, Scotland or Wales and have reached the current State Pension age of 66 to qualify for Pension Credit.
If you have a partner, you’ll be eligible if either:
- you and your partner have both reached State Pension age
- one of you is getting Housing Benefit for people over State Pension age
You can learn more about eligibility here.
How is pension credit worked out?
The amount you will get depends on:
- your weekly income and how much you have saved or invested (your capital), and
- if you have a partner, your partner’s weekly income and their capital
You can learn more about income and savings requirements here.
What you’ll get
Pension Credit tops up:
- your weekly income to £201.05 if you’re single
- your joint weekly income to £306.85 if you have a partner
You may get extra amounts if you have other responsibilities and costs. You can learn more about these here.
How to claim
You can start your application up to 4 months before you reach State Pension age.
You can apply any time after you reach State Pension age, but your application can only be backdated by 3 months. This 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:
- National Insurance number
- information about any income, savings, and investments you have
- 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)
- Bank details including your bank name, sort code and account number
Apply
You can apply for Pension Credit online here or via telephone by calling 0800 99 1234.
To apply by post, print out and fill in the Pension Credit claim form or call the claim line to request a form.
You can send the form to the following address:
The Pension Service 8
Post Handling Site B
Wolverhampton
WV99 1AN
You can learn about Pension Credit and how to support someone applying in further detail here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pension-credit-technical-guidance/a-detailed-guide-to-pension-credit-for-advisers-and-others#about-pension-credit
If you would like to speak with someone locally about your pension or what other benefits and pensions you might be entitled to, AgeUK have a local Portsmouth office and they can be contacted on 023 9286 2121.
