Pension Credit eligibility is linked to State Pension age (Image: Getty)
An ongoing increase to the State Pension age in the UK will impact eligibility for a key pension-age benefit for people born after October 6, 1960. The State Pension age is currently rising from 66 to 67, with the process having got underway earlier this year on April 6. The age rise is being phased in gradually in one-month increments over a two-year period which is due to complete in 2028. The change delays the point at which people turning 66 within this transitionary period reach State Pension age and in turn, become eligible for State Pension age-related benefits, including Pension Credit.
Pension Credit is worth £4,300 per year on average and in the 2026 to 2027 tax year, it can top up your weekly income to £238 if you’re single, or to £363.25 if you have a partner. The benefit is paid separately from your State Pension and you can get it even if you have other income, savings or you own your own home, and it can also unlock access to a whole array of other free perks and discounts.
These include a Council Tax Discount, Cold Weather Payments, a £150 discount off your electricity bill, help with NHS treatment costs, and a free TV licence if you’re 75 or over. But the DWP has confirmed to the Express that eligibility for Pension Credit is linked to State Pension age, which “means it is rising in line with the increase in State Pension age and is currently 66 plus a specified number of months, depending on an individual’s birthday.”
The next phase of the State Pension age increase gets underway this month, affecting anyone born after October 6, 1960. Under the timetable set out by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), it means people with 66th birthdays over the next month, between October 6, 1960, and November 5, 1960, won’t reach State Pension age for another seven months.
And this time frame also applies to Pension Credit too. So if you’re eligible for Pension Credit and you were born on October 6, 1960, you won’t become eligible to claim the benefit until you are aged 66 and seven months old, meaning the earliest you can start receiving payments is from May 6 next year.
Commenting on the impact of the pension benefit age rise, Clare Moffat, Pension and Tax Expert at Royal London, told the Express: “Raising the State Pension age doesn’t just affect when people can claim their State Pension, it also means some older people will have to wait longer before they can access valuable financial support. For those whose 66th birthday falls during the transition period, the impact could be significant.
“Pension Credit is worth thousands of pounds a year for eligible pensioners on low incomes, and it can also act as a gateway to additional help, such as support with housing costs, council tax and the Winter Fuel Payment, depending on individual circumstances. Having to wait several extra months, or potentially close to a year, before becoming eligible could leave some households facing a real financial squeeze at a stage of life when opportunities to increase their income may be limited.”
Eligibility to claim State Pension age benefits, such as Pension Credit, becomes further delayed the later in the year your 66th birthday falls, increasing by one month each time. So people turning 66 in the month from November 6 face an extra eight-month wait, while those turning 66 in the month from December 6 face an extra nine-month wait, and so on until the age rise to 67 is complete.
Listed is the full DWP timetable for the State Pension age rise from 66 to 67, which shows when people with birthdays between April 6, 1960, and March 5, 1961 can claim their State Pension, and in turn Pension Credit in England, Scotland and Wales, with the next phase getting underway from October 6:
May 6, 1960 – June 5, 1960: 66 years and 2 months
June 6, 1960 – July 5, 1960: 66 years and 3 months
July 6, 1960 – August 5, 1960: 66 years and 4 months
August 6, 1960 – September 5, 1960: 66 years and 5 months
September 6, 1960 – October 5, 1960: 66 years and 6 months
October 6, 1960 – November 5, 1960: 66 years and 7 months
November 6, 1960 – December 5, 1960: 66 years and 8 months
December 6, 1960 – January 5, 1961: 66 years and 9 months
January 6, 1961 – February 5, 1961: 66 years and 10 months
February 6, 1961 – March 5, 1961: 66 years and 11 months
March 6, 1961 – April 5, 1977: 67 years
The DWP said: “The Pensions Act 2014 brought the increase in the State Pension age from 66 to 67 forward by eight years. The State Pension age for men and women will now increase to 67 between 2026 and 2028.
“The Government also changed the way in which the increase in State Pension age is phased so that rather than reaching State Pension age on a specific date, people born between 6 April 1960 and 5 March 1961 will reach their State Pension age at 66 years and the specified number of months. For people born after 5 April 1969 but before 6 April 1977, under the Pensions Act 2007, State Pension age was already 67.”
