Pension Credit, the main means-tested top-up
Pension Credit tops up weekly income to a guaranteed minimum, £238.00 a week for a single person and £363.25 for a couple in 2026/27. It has two parts: Guarantee Credit (the main top-up) and Savings Credit (a legacy element for those who reached pension age before April 2016). Around 880,000 eligible households are not claiming it, often because of incorrect assumptions about savings or home ownership. Savings under £10,000 are fully disregarded, and there is no hard upper savings limit equivalent to Universal Credit's £16,000 stop-point.
What Pension Credit unlocks, the passported support
Even a small Pension Credit award can trigger a wider package of support. This includes maximum Council Tax Reduction, full Housing Benefit where still applicable, Cold Weather Payments, NHS cost help (free prescriptions, dental treatment and sight tests), and the Warm Home Discount. In England and Wales, Pension Credit receipt is also one of the qualifying routes for the Winter Fuel Payment under the current income-based eligibility rules. Together, the passported support can be worth significantly more than the weekly cash top-up alone.
Winter and heating support
Winter Fuel Payment in England and Wales is now income-related. In 2026/27, the payment is generally £200 or £300 depending on age and circumstances, but it is subject to a £35,000 personal income threshold. Pension Credit is one of the key qualifying routes. Cold Weather Payments of £25 are automatic for each triggered 7-day cold spell during winter. Scotland uses Pension Age Winter Heating Payment instead. The Warm Home Discount, a rebate on electricity bills, is available to some pension-age households through energy suppliers.
Disability support and council tax at pension age
PIP is for people of working age up to State Pension age. Once you reach State Pension age, you cannot make a new PIP claim, but existing awards can continue. Attendance Allowance is the disability benefit for people over State Pension age. It pays £73.90 (lower rate) or £110.40 (higher rate) a week and is non-means-tested. Council Tax Reduction for pension-age households is often on more generous terms than working-age schemes, and some councils still use the pre-2013 system for pensioners, which can provide fuller protection.