How much Pension Credit will I get in 2026/27?

Pension Credit tops your weekly income up to £238.00 if you are single or £363.25 if you are a couple. If your income after tax is £180 a week and you are single, you would get about £58 a week. The minimum is higher if you get a disability benefit such as Attendance Allowance and live alone (an extra £86.05), if you are a carer (an extra £48.15), or if you pay ground rent or service charges. People who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016 can also get up to £17.96 a week of Savings Credit (£20.10 for a couple).

Is the Pension Credit calculator accurate?

It applies the 2026/27 rates and the main means-test rules DWP uses, so for most single people and couples it gives a close estimate. It does not cover children, mortgage interest, the blind-partner exception, non-dependant deductions, notional income from a pension you have not claimed, or care homes. Your actual award is decided by DWP after you apply. If the calculator shows you are close to the line, apply anyway - the extra amounts are where most people are surprised.

Should I enter my pension before or after tax?

After tax. DWP counts pension income after any income tax has been deducted, and earnings after tax, National Insurance and half of any pension contributions. If you pay no tax, the before-tax and after-tax figures are the same. The calculator lets you enter amounts weekly, monthly or yearly and converts them to the weekly figures DWP uses.

How do savings affect Pension Credit?

The first £10,000 of savings and investments is ignored. Above that, DWP adds £1 a week to your income for every £500, or part of £500. So £15,000 adds £10 a week and £30,000 adds £40 a week. There is no upper savings limit for Pension Credit, unlike Universal Credit, and the value of the home you live in is not counted at all.

Can I get Pension Credit if my partner is under State Pension age?

Usually not. Since 15 May 2019 a couple can only make a new claim when both partners have reached State Pension age. The exception is a couple who have been entitled to Pension Credit or pension-age Housing Benefit together since before 15 May 2019 without a break. Most mixed-age couples have to claim Universal Credit until the younger partner reaches State Pension age.

What else do I get if I qualify?

Guarantee Credit unlocks the most: maximum Council Tax Reduction, maximum Housing Benefit if you rent, free NHS dental treatment, prescriptions and help with glasses, Cold Weather Payments, the £150 Warm Home Discount and a free TV licence if you are 75 or over. Savings Credit on its own still gets you the free TV licence at 75 and Cold Weather Payments. That is why even a small award is worth claiming.

How much will Pension Credit be in April 2027?

The 2027/28 rates have not been confirmed yet. By law the standard minimum guarantee must rise at least in line with average earnings, and the earnings figure that counts - for May to July 2026 - was 3.9%. A 3.9% rise would take it to about £247.30 a week single and £377.40 for a couple. The government normally confirms the new rates around the Budget, which is on 28 October 2026, and they take effect in April 2027.

Pension Credit calculator: how much could you get?

Uses the 2026/27 rules: income topped up to £238 a week single or £363.25 for a couple, plus the extra amounts for disability, caring and housing costs that most quick checks leave out. No sign-up, and nothing you enter leaves your browser.

Last reviewed: 2026-10-12

1. Who is claiming

I have reached State Pension age (or will within 4 months) I reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016 (men born before 6 April 1951, women born before 6 April 1953)

2. Income

Enter amounts a week, after tax. Leave out Attendance Allowance, PIP, DLA, Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction and Winter Fuel Payment - they are ignored.

State Pension Workplace and private pensions Earnings (after tax and NI) Other income e.g. Carer's Allowance, foreign pension, rental profit Ground rent / service charges Homeowners and leaseholders only - renters claim Housing Benefit Savings and investments (total) Cash, ISAs, Premium Bonds, shares. Not your home.

3. Disability and caring

Do you get Attendance Allowance, PIP daily living, DLA care (middle or highest rate), Adult Disability Payment or Pension Age Disability Payment?

Do you get Carer's Allowance or Carer Support Payment - or claimed it but are not paid because your State Pension is higher?

Your estimate

£58.00a week

About £3,016 a year, plus up to 3 months backdated if you were entitled then.

Your minimum

£238.00

a week, with extras

Assessed income

£180.00

incl. £0.00 from savings

Guarantee Credit

£58.00

a week

Savings Credit

£0.00

only if SPA before April 2016

How your minimum is built

Standard minimum guarantee£238.00

Guarantee Credit also unlocks

Maximum Council Tax Reduction (often the whole bill)
Maximum Housing Benefit if you rent
Free NHS dental treatment, prescriptions and help with glasses
Warm Home Discount (£150) and Cold Weather Payments (£25 a spell)
A free TV licence if you are 75 or over (worth £180)

How to apply - and backdate 3 months →

2026/27 rates. Estimate only - DWP decides your award. Not modelled: children, mortgage interest, the blind-partner exception, non-dependant deductions, unclaimed pensions, care homes. Check with the GOV.UK calculator.

How the Pension Credit calculation works

Pension Credit compares two weekly figures. The first is your minimum: the standard minimum guarantee of £238.00 if you are single or £363.25 for a couple, plus any extra amounts you qualify for. The second is your assessed income: pensions and earnings after tax, most other benefits, and £1 a week for every £500 of savings above £10,000. If your income is below your minimum, Guarantee Credit pays the difference.

Most quick checks stop at the headline figure, which is why so many people wrongly decide they don't qualify. The extra amounts lift the minimum, sometimes a long way:

Severe disability amount: £86.05 a week (£172.10 for a couple where both qualify) if you get Attendance Allowance, PIP daily living, DLA care at the middle or highest rate, Adult Disability Payment or Pension Age Disability Payment, nobody else aged 18 or over lives with you, and nobody is paid Carer's Allowance for looking after you. For a couple, both partners normally need to qualify.
Carer amount: £48.15 a week if you get Carer's Allowance or Carer Support Payment, or claimed it and are not paid because your State Pension is higher. That "underlying entitlement" counts in full - see our Carer's Allowance guide.
Housing costs for homeowners and leaseholders: ground rent, eligible service charges and site rent for park homes. Mortgage interest is handled by a separate Support for Mortgage Interest loan, and renters claim Housing Benefit instead.

The disability benefits themselves are ignored as income, so a disabled pensioner who lives alone gains twice: the benefit doesn't count against them, and it raises their minimum by £86.05. DWP's own error statistics for 2025/26 found that a missing severe disability amount was the main reason Pension Credit claims were underpaid.

Savings Credit, if you reached State Pension age before April 2016

Savings Credit is a smaller, older top-up worth up to £17.96 a week single or £20.10 for a couple. It is only open to people who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016 (for a couple, one of you is enough). It pays 60p for every £1 of income above a threshold of £208.07 (£329.75 for a couple), up to the maximum, then tapers away by 40p for every £1 of income above your minimum. It runs out completely at about £283 a week of income for a single person. Savings Credit on its own still qualifies you for a free TV licence at 75.

Worked examples (2026/27)

Single, £180 a week State Pension, £6,000 savings: savings under £10,000 are ignored, so income is £180 against a minimum of £238 - Pension Credit of £58 a week, about £3,016 a year.
Single, £200 a week, £20,000 savings: savings add £20 a week, so income is £220 - Pension Credit of £18 a week, and the full Guarantee Credit gateway.
Single, £250 a week, gets Attendance Allowance, lives alone: the minimum rises to £324.05 - Pension Credit of £74.05 a week, even though £250 is well above the headline £238.
Couple, £350 a week, £18,000 in an ISA: income £366 against £363.25 - nothing on the headline figures. If both partners get Attendance Allowance and nobody else lives with them, the minimum becomes £535.35 and Pension Credit is £169.35 a week.

Before you apply

If the calculator shows anything at all, apply - even a few pence of Guarantee Credit unlocks maximum Council Tax Reduction and the rest of the gateway. Claims can be backdated by up to 3 months, and you can apply up to 4 months before you reach State Pension age. Our step-by-step guide to applying for Pension Credit covers the phone line, the online form and what to have ready. For the rules in full, see the main Pension Credit guide and Pension Credit and savings. Already claiming and received a review letter? See the DWP Pension Credit review explained.

Sources: DWP Benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027; DWP A detailed guide to Pension Credit for advisers and others (updated 8 May 2026); GOV.UK Pension Credit eligibility; DWP Fraud and error in the benefit system FYE 2026.

Common questions

How much Pension Credit will I get in 2026/27?: Pension Credit tops your weekly income up to £238.00 if you are single or £363.25 if you are a couple. If your income after tax is £180 a week and you are single, you would get about £58 a week. The minimum is higher if you get a disability benefit such as Attendance Allowance and live alone (an extra £86.05), if you are a carer (an extra £48.15), or if you pay ground rent or service charges. People who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016 can also get up to £17.96 a week of Savings Credit (£20.10 for a couple).
Is the Pension Credit calculator accurate?: It applies the 2026/27 rates and the main means-test rules DWP uses, so for most single people and couples it gives a close estimate. It does not cover children, mortgage interest, the blind-partner exception, non-dependant deductions, notional income from a pension you have not claimed, or care homes. Your actual award is decided by DWP after you apply. If the calculator shows you are close to the line, apply anyway - the extra amounts are where most people are surprised.
Should I enter my pension before or after tax?: After tax. DWP counts pension income after any income tax has been deducted, and earnings after tax, National Insurance and half of any pension contributions. If you pay no tax, the before-tax and after-tax figures are the same. The calculator lets you enter amounts weekly, monthly or yearly and converts them to the weekly figures DWP uses.
How do savings affect Pension Credit?: The first £10,000 of savings and investments is ignored. Above that, DWP adds £1 a week to your income for every £500, or part of £500. So £15,000 adds £10 a week and £30,000 adds £40 a week. There is no upper savings limit for Pension Credit, unlike Universal Credit, and the value of the home you live in is not counted at all.
Can I get Pension Credit if my partner is under State Pension age?: Usually not. Since 15 May 2019 a couple can only make a new claim when both partners have reached State Pension age. The exception is a couple who have been entitled to Pension Credit or pension-age Housing Benefit together since before 15 May 2019 without a break. Most mixed-age couples have to claim Universal Credit until the younger partner reaches State Pension age.
What else do I get if I qualify?: Guarantee Credit unlocks the most: maximum Council Tax Reduction, maximum Housing Benefit if you rent, free NHS dental treatment, prescriptions and help with glasses, Cold Weather Payments, the £150 Warm Home Discount and a free TV licence if you are 75 or over. Savings Credit on its own still gets you the free TV licence at 75 and Cold Weather Payments. That is why even a small award is worth claiming.
How much will Pension Credit be in April 2027?: The 2027/28 rates have not been confirmed yet. By law the standard minimum guarantee must rise at least in line with average earnings, and the earnings figure that counts - for May to July 2026 - was 3.9%. A 3.9% rise would take it to about £247.30 a week single and £377.40 for a couple. The government normally confirms the new rates around the Budget, which is on 28 October 2026, and they take effect in April 2027.