How much Pension Credit could you get?
Pension Credit tops up weekly income to £238.00 for a single person or £363.25 for a couple, with more for disability or caring. Enter your pensions and savings to estimate your weekly amount for 2026/27.
Estimated Pension Credit
£53.10 a week
About £230.10 a month, or £2,761.20 a year.
Getting Guarantee Credit can also open up other help, such as Council Tax Reduction, Housing Benefit if you rent, a free TV licence from 75, Cold Weather Payments and help with NHS dental costs and glasses.
How the estimate is built
| Standard amount | £238.00 |
|---|---|
| Extra amount for disability | £0.00 |
| Extra amount for caring | £0.00 |
| Weekly income counted | £184.90 |
| …of which assumed from savings | £0.00 |
| Earnings ignored | £0.00 |
| Guarantee Credit | £53.10 |
| Savings Credit | £0.00 |
An estimate using 2026/27 Great Britain rates, not a decision by the Department for Work and Pensions. It assumes the residence rules are met and that no disability or carer benefit has recently changed. Your answers stay on this page and are not saved. You can also use the official GOV.UK calculator.
Pension Credit examples for 2026/27
Weekly amounts after tax, worked out with the calculator above. Each example assumes no other income, earnings or housing costs.
| Situation | Income and savings | Guarantee Credit | Savings Credit | Total a week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single, basic State Pension only | £184.90 a week, reached State Pension age before 2016 | £53.10 | £0.00 | £53.10 |
| Single, full new State Pension | £241.30 a week | £0.00 | £0.00 | £0.00 |
| Single, full new State Pension and Attendance Allowance | £241.30 a week, lives alone, no carer paid | £82.75 | £0.00 | £82.75 |
| Single, basic State Pension and a small private pension | £184.90 + £60 a week, reached State Pension age before 2016 | £0.00 | £15.20 | £15.20 |
| Single, basic State Pension and £20,000 savings | £184.90 a week, £20,000 in savings | £33.10 | £0.00 | £33.10 |
| Couple, £300 a week of pensions | Both reached State Pension age before 2016 | £63.25 | £0.00 | £63.25 |
The full new State Pension (£241.30) is just above the £238.00 standard amount, so on its own it gives no Pension Credit. Disability or carer amounts, housing costs and children can change that. On the basic State Pension alone, the gap is £53.10 a week.
How Pension Credit is worked out
- Start with the standard amount: £238.00 a week for a single person or £363.25 for a couple.
- Add any extra amounts: £86.05 for severe disability, £48.15 for each carer, and amounts for housing costs or children.
- Add up weekly income after tax: State Pension, other pensions, earnings and most benefits. Attendance Allowance, PIP, DLA, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction are not counted, and part of any earnings is ignored.
- Add £1 a week for every £500, or part of £500, of savings above £10,000.
- Guarantee Credit is the gap between the total from steps 1 and 2 and the income from steps 3 and 4. Savings Credit, only for people who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016, is worked out separately from income above £208.07 a week (£329.75 for a couple), up to £17.96 (£20.10).
A claim can be backdated by up to three months if you were eligible then, and you can apply from four months before reaching State Pension age. Read the Pension Credit guide, and use the claim checklist to gather the records you will need. In Northern Ireland, apply through nidirect.
Pension Credit questions
How much is Pension Credit in 2026/27?
Pension Credit tops weekly income up to £238.00 for a single person or £363.25 for a couple. Extra amounts can be added: £86.05 a week for severe disability and £48.15 a week for carers, plus amounts for housing costs and children. People who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016 may also get Savings Credit of up to £17.96 a week (£20.10 for a couple).
Can I get Pension Credit if I own my home or have savings?
Yes. Your home is not counted. Savings and investments of £10,000 or less do not affect Pension Credit, and there is no upper savings limit. Above £10,000, every £500 (or part of £500) counts as £1 of weekly income. For example, £20,000 of savings counts as £20 a week: in our example, a single person on the basic State Pension with £20,000 saved would still get £33.10 a week.
Can I get Pension Credit on the full new State Pension?
Not usually on its own: the full new State Pension of £241.30 a week is above the £238.00 standard amount. It can still be payable when an extra amount applies. For example, a single person on the full new State Pension who gets Attendance Allowance, lives alone and has no carer paid to look after them could get about £82.75 a week.
Does a private pension stop me getting Pension Credit?
No, but it counts as income. Someone who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016 can get Savings Credit as a reward for having some retirement income of their own. In our example, a single person with the basic State Pension and a £60 a week private pension gets £15.20 a week of Savings Credit, although their income is above the Guarantee Credit level.
Why is a small amount of Pension Credit worth claiming?
Getting Pension Credit can open up other help, including Housing Benefit if you rent, Council Tax Reduction, Support for Mortgage Interest, Cold Weather Payments, the Warm Home Discount, a free TV licence from age 75 and, with Guarantee Credit, help with NHS dental treatment, glasses and travel to hospital appointments.
Can a couple claim if one partner is under State Pension age?
Normally both partners must have reached State Pension age. A mixed-age couple can claim if one of them already gets Housing Benefit for people over State Pension age. Other mixed-age couples usually need to claim Universal Credit instead until the younger partner reaches State Pension age.
Is this the official Pension Credit calculator?
No. It is an independent estimate using the published GOV.UK rates and DWP rules for common situations. The Department for Work and Pensions decides entitlement. The official calculator on GOV.UK and the Pension Service can check cases this calculator does not cover, such as self-employment, housing costs, children or a care home stay.