Older {couples} might be eligible for £4,300 DWP enhance yearly
If you’re State Pension age and meet the income requirements, you could be eligible for thousands in additional support
Nearly 1.4 million pensioners across the UK are currently pocketing Pension Credit. This means-tested benefit could provide an average of £4,300 in extra support during the 2025/26 financial year.
However, the Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ) states that 760,000 old-age pensioners are eligible for this State Pension top-up but haven’t claimed it. The department is now extending its awareness campaign until the end of the current financial year, encouraging people to check their eligibility and put in a claim.
Pensioner couples with a combined weekly income of less than £346, or single pensioners earning less than £227.10 per week, might be eligible for Pension Credit. There’s a misunderstanding among some elderly people that having savings or owning their home rules them out from this means-tested benefit.
Even a modest award of just £1 per week can unlock further help, including assistance with housing costs, heating bills, and Council Tax. The DWP recently confirmed that nearly 78% of all new Pension Credit claims are processed – from initial application to award decision letter – within the target timeframe of 50 working days (10 weeks), according to the Daily Record.
This implies that low-income pensioners making a new claim this month could see their first payment and any arrears by the end of January. It’s crucial for all elderly folk – whether single, hitched or cohabiting – to ensure they’re claiming all the extra financial support they’re entitled to this year.
This can bolster their income and offset the ongoing cost of living crisis.
Mixed aged older couples and Pension Credit
In May 2019, the law changed so a ‘mixed age couple’ – a couple where one partner is of State Pension age and the other is under it – are considered to be a ‘working age’ couple when checking entitlement to means-tested benefits.
This means they cannot claim Pension Credit or pension age Housing Benefit until they are both State Pension age. Before this DWP change, a mixed age couple could be eligible to claim the more generous State Pension age benefits when just one of them reached State Pension age.
Fastest way to check eligibility for Pension Credit
Older people, or their friends and family, can swiftly check their eligibility and get an estimate of what they might receive by using the online Pension Credit calculator on GOV.UK here.
Alternatively, pensioners can ring the Pension Credit helpline directly to make a claim on 0800 99 1234 – lines are open from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.
How to submit a claim
You can initiate your application up to four months before you reach State Pension age. You can make a claim any time after you reach State Pension age, but your claim can only be backdated for three months.
This means you could receive up to three months of Pension Credit in your first payment if you were eligible during that period. You will require:
- your National Insurance number
- information about your income, savings and investments
- your bank account details, if you’re applying by phone or by post
If you’re backdating your claim, you’ll need information about your income, savings and investments on the date you want your claim to commence
Apply online
You can use the online service if:
- you have already claimed your State Pension
- there are no children or young people included in your claim
To check your entitlement, phone the Pension Credit helpline on 0800 99 1234 or use the GOV.UK Pension Credit calculator here to find out how much you could get.
