State Pension: up to £230.25/week
The full new State Pension in 2026/27 is £230.25 per week. You need 35 qualifying years of National Insurance contributions or credits to receive the full amount. Fewer than 35 years means a reduced amount. You need at least 10 qualifying years to receive any State Pension at all. State Pension age is currently 66 for both men and women. It is planned to rise to 67 between 2026 and 2028, and to 68 at a later date. You can defer taking your State Pension to increase the weekly amount.
Pension Credit: the most underclaimed benefit for pensioners
Pension Credit tops up your weekly income to a minimum of £227.10 if you are single, or £346.60 per week if you are a couple, in 2026/27. It is means-tested but around 880,000 eligible households do not claim it. Receiving Pension Credit unlocks significant additional support: free TV licence for over-75s, maximum Council Tax Reduction in many areas, free dental treatment, free NHS eye tests and help with NHS costs. The capital rules are more generous than Universal Credit. The first £10,000 in savings is fully disregarded and there is no hard upper capital limit.
Winter Fuel Payment and Cold Weather Payment
The Winter Fuel Payment is an annual payment of £200 to £300 to help with heating costs. Following 2024 changes, eligibility is now linked to receiving Pension Credit or certain other means-tested benefits. If you do not currently claim Pension Credit and have not received a Winter Fuel Payment, this is a further reason to check whether you qualify for Pension Credit. The Cold Weather Payment is separate: £25 per seven-day period of very cold weather, paid automatically if temperatures fall to zero degrees Celsius or below for seven consecutive days. It is paid to households on qualifying benefits including Pension Credit.
Attendance Allowance for over-pension-age disabled people
Attendance Allowance is for people over State Pension age who need help with personal care due to a physical or mental disability. In 2026/27 the lower rate is £72.65 per week and the higher rate is £108.55 per week. It is not means-tested. Income and savings do not affect entitlement. Receiving Attendance Allowance can also increase your Pension Credit award through the severe disability addition.
Council Tax Reduction, Housing Benefit and other support
Pensioners can still claim Housing Benefit (working-age people cannot make new Housing Benefit claims). Pension Credit claimants are entitled to maximum Council Tax Reduction in most local authority areas. Free NHS prescriptions apply to everyone aged 60 or over. Free NHS sight tests and vouchers towards glasses apply to Pension Credit recipients. A free bus pass (concessionary travel) applies from State Pension age in England and most of the UK.