State Pension provides essential financial support every four weeks for nearly 12.5 million people across the UK, including 981,399 living in Scotland. This regular payment of up to £185.15 per week for the Full, new State Pension or £141.85 per week for the basic old State Pension (Category A or B) is available for those who have reached the UK Government’s eligible retirement age, which increased to 66 for both men and women in October 2020.
However, two further increases have been set out in legislation and currently under review for a gradual rise to 67 for those born on or after April 1960 and a gradual rise to 68 between 2044 and 2046 for those born on or after April 1977.
For anyone approaching the official age of retirement, it is worth being aware that your age may affect which benefits you can claim in later life because when you reach State Pension age or Pension Credit age you can start claiming some benefits while others will stop.
Your State Pension age is the same as your Pension Credit age unless you are a man born before December 6, 1953.
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.
Benefits affected by your pension age
Turn2us has created an essential guide to the benefits you cannot claim from the Department for Work and Pensions (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 Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Income Support
- Universal 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 new disability benefit replacing PIP for people in Scotland this year - 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 that you received the award for and your last claim ended less than 12 months before you reached State Pension age.
The DWP has said that DLA claimants who were born before April 8, 1948 will not be transferred to PIP, however, those born after that date will be.
People living in Scotland currently receiving DLA or PIP will be transferred to the new devolved Social Security Scotland system from August 29 this year - the migration for those on DLA is expected to take up to 18 months to complete for all claimants.
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 byHMRC)
- Carer’s Allowance - you may not be eligible for the full financial element depending on your income from State Pension
- Guardian’s Allowance
- Statutory 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 Credit
- Housing Benefit
- Council Tax Support
- Support for Mortgage Interest
- Working Tax Credit (HMRC) - you can't make new claims for this, but if you're already getting it you can carry on receiving it
- Child Tax Credit (HMRC)- you can't make new claims for this, but if you're already getting it you can carry on receiving it
- Help with Health Costs
- Cold Weather Payment - being replaced by new £50 payment in Scotland this winter
- Warm Home Discount Scheme
- Winter Fuel Payment
For more details about benefits when you reach State Pension age, visit the Turn2Us website here.
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