Once you reach State Pension age a different set of support opens up, and the one that matters most is also the most missed. Pension Credit tops a single person's income up to £238.00 a week, yet hundreds of thousands of eligible pensioners never claim it, and because it now passports the Winter Fuel Payment, missing it costs far more than the cash alone. This guide covers the full State Pension, Pension Credit, Attendance Allowance and the help that rides on top, with a worked example so you can see how a top-up is actually calculated.
- The full new State Pension in 2026/27 is £241.30 a week, needing 35 qualifying years, and at least 10 for any pension at all.1
- Pension Credit tops your weekly income up to £238.00 if you are single or £363.25 for a couple, and around 880,000 eligible households never claim it.2
- Pension Credit ignores your first £10,000 of savings and has no upper capital limit, far more generous than working-age Universal Credit.3
- Attendance Allowance pays £76.70 or £114.60 a week for care needs, is not means-tested, and can increase your Pension Credit.4
- Getting Pension Credit passports the Winter Fuel Payment, maximum Council Tax Reduction and help with NHS costs, so it is worth far more than the top-up alone.5
State Pension: up to £241.30 a week
The full new State Pension in 2026/27 is £241.30 a week. You need 35 qualifying years of National Insurance contributions or credits for the full amount, and fewer years means a proportionally smaller pension. You need at least 10 qualifying years to get any State Pension at all.1
State Pension age is currently 66, rising to 67 between 2026 and 2028 and to 68 later. If you do not need the money straight away you can defer, which increases the weekly amount, though whether that beats taking it and investing or saving depends on your circumstances. Check your NI record first, because buying back missing years is sometimes the best-value thing a person near pension age can do.
Pension Credit: the most underclaimed benefit for pensioners
Pension Credit tops your weekly income up to a guaranteed minimum: £238.00 if you are single, or £363.25 for a couple.2 It is means-tested, yet around 880,000 eligible households do not claim it, often because they assume a small private pension or some savings rules them out. It usually does not.
The capital rules are far kinder than working-age benefits. The first £10,000 of savings is ignored completely, and there is no hard upper limit at all, so savings that would end a Universal Credit claim need not stop Pension Credit.3 And the real value is what it unlocks: the Winter Fuel Payment, maximum Council Tax Reduction in most areas, a free TV licence for the over-75s, and help with NHS dental and eye costs. Even a small weekly award opens all of those doors, which is why claiming is worth it even when the top-up itself looks modest.
A worked example: a single pensioner on £215 a week
Say you are single, over State Pension age, with a weekly income of £215 from your State Pension and a small private pension. Guarantee Credit lifts you to the £238.00 minimum:
| Pension Credit guarantee level (single) | £238.00 |
| Your current weekly income | −£215.00 |
| Pension Credit payable per week | £23.00 |
The cash is only £23.00 a week, and this is where people talk themselves out of claiming. Do not. That £23.00 is the key that passports the Winter Fuel Payment, maximum Council Tax Reduction, and help with NHS costs, which together are worth far more than the top-up itself. A pensioner £2 a week over the line gets none of it, so if you are close, claim and let the DWP work it out rather than assuming.
Attendance Allowance: extra help with care needs
Attendance Allowance is for people over State Pension age who need help with personal care because of a physical or mental health condition. The lower rate is £76.70 a week and the higher rate is £114.60 a week in 2026/27.4
It is not means-tested, so your income and savings are irrelevant. Better still, claiming it can increase a Pension Credit award through the severe disability addition, so the two work together. Plenty of pensioners underplay their care needs on the form, or never apply because they are not on any other benefit. Apply on how bad your worst days are, not your best.
Winter Fuel Payment, Council Tax and other help
The Winter Fuel Payment is an annual £200 to £300 towards heating. Since the 2024 changes, eligibility is tied to getting Pension Credit or another qualifying means-tested benefit, which is the strongest single reason to check your Pension Credit entitlement even for a small award.5
Beyond that, pensioners can still claim Housing Benefit, which working-age people generally cannot, and Pension Credit recipients get maximum Council Tax Reduction in most areas.6 Free NHS prescriptions apply to everyone over 60, and a free bus pass comes with State Pension age across most of the UK. These small entitlements add up, and few are given to you automatically, so it pays to ask.
The mistakes that cost pensioners the most
The biggest is never claiming Pension Credit because the top-up looks too small to bother with, and losing the Winter Fuel Payment and Council Tax Reduction that ride on it. The second is assuming savings disqualify you, when the first £10,000 is ignored and there is no upper limit. The third is not claiming Attendance Allowance for a genuine care need, which not only pays in its own right but can lift a Pension Credit award too.
One more: couples where only one has reached pension age are now usually treated as a working-age household for Universal Credit rather than Pension Credit, which can change everything. If that is you, get the calculation checked rather than guessing.
What to do next
Run the Pension Credit calculator first, because it is the gateway to almost everything else, and do it even if you think you are just over, since the passported help makes a marginal claim worth it. Then check Attendance Allowance if you have any care needs, and Council Tax Reduction through your council.
The calculators give you an accurate estimate; the claim itself is made on GOV.UK or by phone to the Pension Service. These are the confirmed 2026/27 rates, so what you see should line up closely with what you are offered.