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Pension Credit

 
Pension Credit guarantees people aged 60 or over a minimum weekly income and rewards people with modest savings or second pensions. It is paid to top up any money you or your partner already have coming in, up to certain limits.

Who can claim

There is no limit to how much savings you can have but savings over £6,000 will affect how much Pension Credit you get.

You can work and get Pension Credit if you are on a low income (see below for details). It does not matter how many hours a week you work. If you are responsible for dependent children you should also claim Child Tax Credit.

What you get

Pension Credit has two parts - the Guarantee Credit (for people aged 60 or over) and the Savings Credit (for people aged 65 or over). You can get both parts or just one depending on your circumstances.

Guarantee Credit

You can normally get the Guarantee Credit if your weekly income is less than £124.05 (single people) or £189.35 (for couples). You may get help even if your income is higher than this if, for example, you and your partner are severely disabled, look after a disabled person or pay a mortgage or service charges.

Savings Credit

If you or your partner are 65 or over, you may be able to get a reward for making provision for your retirement. This is worth up to £19.71 a week for a single person or £26.13 for couples. How much you get depends on how much money you have coming in each week over certain limits.

How to claim

Visit the Pension Service website or call them on 0800 99 1234 or 0800 169 0133 (for textphone users).

Pension Credit can be backdated for up to 12 months.

If you get Housing and Council Tax Benefit

If you get the Guarantee Credit you can get full Council Tax Benefit and Housing Benefit. 

Even if you can only get the Savings Credit you may still be able to get some help towards these costs.  

If you receive these benefits, you should tell the Council that you ar receiving Pension Credit. To do this, call our Advice and Benefits Service on 020 8921 4900 or 020 8921 2083 for textphone users.

More information

If you have an enquiry or need advice, contact Greenwich Welfare Rights Service using the number on the right or our online enquiry form.

More information is also available in the Benefits for Pensioners leaflet.

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