Here’s a round-up of which benefits will continue, new ones you may qualify for and those you can no longer claim
Some benefits stop after you reach State Pension age(Image: iStockphoto/ getty)
If you are nearing State Pension age, it may be worth noting which Government benefits will stop after you retire and which ones you can still claim. There will also be new support schemes you will be able to take advatange of.
Figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show the State Pension is being provided to around 13 million people across Britain. This payment is currently worth up to £230.25 per week for those on the New State Pension (claimed after April 6, 2016), or £176.45 each week for the Basic State Pension (Category A or B).
How much someone receives depends on the number of National Insurance years they have accrued before reaching the current retirement age of 66. You need at least 10 years to qualify for any State Pension payment. This comes as ChronicleLive explained how much more money pensioners will get from the DWP from April this year.
For older people approaching the official age of retirement before the end of the current financial year (April 5, 2026), it’s important to know which benefits will continue, new ones you may now qualify for and those you can no longer make a new claim for. Your State Pension age is the same as your Pension Credit qualifying age unless you are a man born before December 6, 1953, reports the Daily Record.
You can check your State Pension age and whether you can start claiming Pension Credit on the ‘Check your State Pension age’ page of the GOV.UK website here. More information about benefits is outlined below.
Benefits affected by your pension age
Turn2us has created an essential guide to the benefits you cannot claim from the DWP when you reach State Pension age or Pension Credit age. For full details on each of the topics listed below, visit the Turn2us website here.
Pension Credit age
When you reach State Pension age you can no longer claim:
Income-based Jobseeker’s AllowanceIncome-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)Income SupportUniversal Credit
Turn2us advises: “If you live with a partner and one of you is pension age and the other is not yet pension age, benefit entitlement can be complicated.”
Use the Turn2us benefit calculator to see what benefits you’re entitled to, or get help from a benefits adviser.
State Pension age
When you reach State Pension age you can no longer claim:
Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)Contributory/New Style Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
You cannot make a new claim for Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Adult Disability Payment (ADP) – the devolved disability benefit has now replaced all new and existing claims for PIP for people in Scotland – once you have reached State Pension age. However, if you were already receiving DLA, PIP, or ADP you can renew the claim even though you are over State Pension age.
This can only be done as long as you are claiming for the same health conditions you received the award for and your last claim ended less than 12 months before you reached State Pension age. Bereavement Support Payment and Widowed Parent’s Allowance are also not available once you reach State Pension age.
Benefits not affected by your State Pension age
You can claim these benefits even if you are over State Pension age:
Child Benefit (delivered by HMRC)Carer’s Allowance – you may not be eligible for the full financial element depending on your income from State PensionGuardian’s AllowanceStatutory Sick Pay (SSP)
You can also claim these benefits even if you are over State Pension age, but only if you meet the benefit-specific income threshold:
Pension CreditHousing BenefitCouncil Tax SupportSupport for Mortgage InterestHelp with Health CostsWinter Heating Payment – Scotland onlyCold Weather Payment – England and Wales onlyWarm Home Discount SchemeWinter Fuel PaymentPension Age Winter Heating Payment – Scotland only, same qualifying rules as Winter Fuel Payment