Pension Credit

Pension Credit is an entitlement for people aged 60 or over living in Great Britain. This could mean extra money for you every week. Pension Credit guarantees everyone aged 60 and over an income of at least:

£137.35 a week if you are single
£209.70 a week if you have a partner

Also, if you or your partner are 65 or over you may be rewarded for saving for your retirement, up to:

£20.52 a week if you are single
£27.09 a week if you have a partner

If you apply for Pension Credit and are eligible, you may receive a payment backdated for up to 3 months from the day you were first entitled to the date you first applied.

To apply for Pension Credit, you must be at least 60 or within four months of your 60th birthday. It does not matter if your partner is under 60.

From 6 April 2010 the State Pension age for women will gradually start to increase from the current State Pension age of 60. The age from which people can get Pension Credit will increase in line with this.

There are three ways to apply for Pension Credit:

• you can apply for Pension Credit by freephone by calling The Pension Disability and Carers Service on 0800 99 1234, textphone 0800 169 0133 (8.00am to 8.00pm Monday to Friday, 9.00am to 1.00pm Saturday)
• you can print an application form by downloading a form from The Pension Disability and Carers Service, and fill it in by hand and post it free of charge. Please call The Pension Service Monday to Friday from 8.00am to 8.00pm on 0845 60 60 265 to find out your Pension Credit application Freepost address. You will need Adobe Reader to print this form
• you can fill out the The Pension Disability and Carers Service form online application on screen, then print it and post it. Please call The Pension Service Monday to Friday from 8.00am to 8.00pm on 0845 60 60 265 to find out your Pension Credit application Freepost address