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Guarantee Credit
If you are living in Great Britain and have reached the minimum qualifying age, you may be entitled to the Guarantee Credit. This guarantees a minimum income by topping up your weekly income to:- £132.60 if you are single
- £202.40 if you have a partner
The age from which you can get the Guarantee Credit – the qualifying age – is gradually increasing from 60 to 65 between April 2010 and 2020. To find out the age when you can apply for Pension Credit, you can use the State Pension age calculator.
While you must have reached the qualifying age, you can still claim if your partner is under the qualifying age. If you or your partner are both over the qualifiying age either one of you can apply.
‘Partner’ is used to refer to:
- your husband
- your wife
- your civil partner
- the person you live with as if they were your husband, wife or civil partner
Age 65 or over - Savings Credit
If you are aged 65 or over and living in Great Britain you may be entitled to Savings Credit. You may get the Savings Credit on its own or with the Guarantee Credit. You may be entitled to Savings Credit if you:- are aged 65 or over
- have made some provision towards your retirement such as savings or a second pension
The Savings Credit can be up to:
- £20.52 a week if you are single
- £27.09 a week if you have a partner
- £184 a week if you are single
- £270 a week if you have a partner
Get a Pension Credit estimate
Use the Pension Credit calculator to get a Pension Credit estimate. This online calculator is quick and easy to use and will tell you how much Pension Credit you might get. Find out more about the Pension Credit estimate on the following page:Apply for Pension Credit by telephone
You can call The Pension Service on 0800 99 1234 or textphone 0800 169 0133. Lines are open 8.00 am to 8.00 pm Monday to Friday and 9.00 am to 1.00 pm on Saturdays.When you phone, you need the following information:
- your National Insurance number
- information about your savings, investments and income
- details of the account into which you would like any Pension Credit payments to be paid
The Pension Service can also help you apply for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit at the same time as your application for Pension Credit.
What if you don’t speak English?
If you don’t speak English then an interpreter can help you apply. Call Freephone 0800 99 1234. An adviser and interpreter will call you back.Lines are open 8.00 am to 8.00 pm Monday to Friday and 9.00 am to 1.00 pm on Saturday.
Apply for Pension Credit in writing
You can download, print and complete the application form and post free of charge to your pension centre. You can also download and complete an application form on your computer. You can then print it and post it free to your pension centre.
To find out where to send your Pension Credit application form, call The Pension Service on 0845 60 60 265 (0845 60 60 275 for Welsh speaking customers living in Wales), Monday to Friday from 8.00 am to 8.00 pm.
When to apply for Pension Credit
You can apply up to four months before the date from which you want to start getting Pension Credit. If you were born before 6 April 1950 the earliest age you can get Pension Credit from is 60. If you were born after this date, use the State Pension age calculator to find out the date you can get Pension Credit from.The maximum period that your Pension Credit claim can be backdated is 3 months.
If you want Pension Credit to start from a past or future date, you need to tell The Pension Service when you apply.
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