The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has shared details of the number of older people in Scotland claiming Pension Credit following a written query from the SNP’s Amy Callaghan. The MP for East Dunbartonshire, asked if DWP could provide take-up data of the passport benefit which is worth £3,500 and unlocks help with housing, heating and Council Tax costs.
Pensions Minister Laura Trott responded “take-up statistics for Pension Credit are available at Great Britain level only”. However, she was able to provide a parliamentary constituency breakdown which shows there are 127,080 pensioners in Scotland receiving the benefit - the full breakdown is further down this article.
People in receipt of Pension Credit will qualify for the £900 means-tested cost of living payment and the £300 pensioner cost of living payment, which will be added to the 2023/24 Winter Fuel Payment in November/December. Pensioners claiming any disability benefits will also receive a £150 one-off payment this summer as part of the Uk Government’s £37 billion package of support, expected to help millions of people over the next financial year.
DWP launched a dedicated Pension Credit awareness campaign in April 2022, specifically aimed at people claiming State Pension on a low income. DWP boss Mel Stride told MPs last month that in one week in December alone, his Department received 7,200 claims for the benefit, an increase of 177 per cent on the previous year.
He also said there would be no “let-up” in promoting the benefit and encouraging more older people to check if they are eligible for an annual income boost of £3,500, on average.
The DWP has also launched new television advert to promote awareness of the benefit. This will run alongside its ongoing social media campaign encouraging friends and family members to check if anyone they know may be eligible.
The latest DWP figures indicate £1.7 billion is being left unclaimed by around 800,000 older people across Great Britain who are missing out on Pension Credit.
Pension Credit weekly payment rates 2023/24
The weekly payment rate will rise in April:
- Single: £201.05, up £18.45 from £182.60
- Couple: £306.85, up £28.15 from £278.70
People can check their eligibility for Pension Credit using the online calculator or by calling the Pension Credit helpline on 0800 99 1234.
Pension Credit claimants in Scotland
The table below shows the Pension Credit caseload statistics by constituency in Scotland in August 2022.
- Aberdeen North - 1766
- Aberdeen South - 1143
- Airdrie and Shotts - 2662
- Angus - 2043
- Argyll and Bute - 2290
- Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock - 2690
- Banff and Buchan - 1822
- Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk - 2123
- Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross - 1744
- Central Ayrshire - 2714
- Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill - 2886
- Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East - 2102
- Dumfries and Galloway - 2877
- Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale - 2201
- Dundee East - 1962
- Dundee West - 2414
- Dunfermline and West Fife - 1529
- East Dunbartonshire - 1123
- East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow - 2194
- East Lothian - 1936
- East Renfrewshire - 1479
- Edinburgh East - 2041
- Edinburgh North and Leith - 1618
- Edinburgh South - 1262
- Edinburgh West - 1251
- Edinburgh South West - 1457
- Falkirk - 2491
- Glasgow Central - 3089
- Glasgow East - 3939
- Glasgow North - 1878
- Glasgow North East - 3736
- Glasgow North West - 2829
- Glasgow South West - 3337
- Glasgow South - 2632
- Glenrothes - 2218
- Gordon - 1114
- Inverclyde -2603
- Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey -1941
- Kilmarnock and Loudoun - 2670
- Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath - 2300
- Lanark and Hamilton East - 2825
- Livingston - 2331
- Linlithgow and East Falkirk - 2412
- Midlothian -1693
- Moray - 1895
- Motherwell and Wishaw - 2928
- Na h-Eileanan an Iar - 1043
- North Ayrshire and Arran - 2943
- North East Fife - 1338
- Ochil and South Perthshire - 1954
- Orkney and Shetland - 810
- Paisley and Renfrewshire North - 2006
- Paisley and Renfrewshire South - 2357
- Perth and North Perthshire - 2058
- Ross, Skye and Lochaber - 1628
- Rutherglen and Hamilton West - 3205
- Stirling - 1685
- West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine - 996
- West Dunbartonshire - 2858
- Total -127,080
Below is everything you need to know about the benefit to make a claim for yourself, a family member or friend. We also have details on the handy online Pension Credit calculator which can quickly indicate if your claim may be successful and how much you might get.
What is Pension Credit?
Pension Credit currently gives 1.4 million people across the UK extra money to help with living costs if they are over State Pension age and on a low income.
Some older people think because they have savings or own their home they would not be eligible for any Pension Credit, but the DWP said hundreds of thousands could be missing out on the extra money and discounts it provides every month.
Other help if you get Pension Credit
If you qualify for Pension Credit you can also get other help, such as:
- Housing Benefit if you rent the property you live in
- Support for Mortgage Interest if you own the property you live in
- Council Tax discount
- Free TV licence if you are aged 75 or over
- Help with NHS dental treatment, glasses and transport costs for hospital appointments
- Help with your heating costs through the Warm Home Discount Scheme
- A discount on the Royal Mail redirection service if you are moving house
Mixed aged older couples and Pension Credit
In May 2019, the law changed so that a ‘mixed age couple’ - a couple where one partner is of State Pension age and the other is under it - are considered to be a ‘working age’ couple when checking entitlement to means-tested benefits.
This means they cannot claim Pension Credit or pension age Housing Benefit until they are both State Pension age. Before this DWP change, a mixed age couple could be eligible to claim the more generous State Pension age benefits when just one of them reached State Pension age.
How to use the Pension Credit calculator
To use the calculator on GOV.UK, you will need details of:
earnings, benefits and pensions
savings and investments
You’ll need the same details for your partner if you have one.
You will be presented by a series of questions with multiple choice answer options.
This includes:
- Your date of birth
- Your residential status
- Where in the UK you live
- Whether you are registered blind
- Which benefits you currently receive
- How much you receive each week for any benefits you get
- Whether someone is paid Carer’s Allowance to look after you
- How much you get each week from pensions - State Pension, private and work pensions
- Any employment earnings
- Any savings, investments or bonds you have
Once you have answered these questions, a summary screen shows your responses, allowing you to go back and change any answers before submitting. The Pension Credit calculator then displays how much benefit you could receive each week.
All you have to do then is follow the link to the application page to find out exactly what you will get from the DWP, including access to other financial support.
There’s also an option to print off the answers you give using the calculator tool to help you complete the application form quicker without having to look out the same details again. Try the Pension Credit Calculator for yourself or family member to make sure you’re receiving all the financial support you are entitled to claim.
Who cannot use the Pension Credit calculator?
You cannot use the calculator if you or your partner:
are deferring your State Pension
own more than one property
are self employed
have housing costs (such as service charges or Crown Tenant rent) which are neither mortgage repayments nor rent covered by Housing Benefit
How to make a claim
You can start your application up to four months before you reach State Pension age. You can claim any time after you reach State Pension age but your claim can only be backdated for three months.
This means you can get up to three months of Pension Credit in your first payment if you were eligible during that time.
You will need:
your National Insurance number
information about your income, savings and investments
your bank account details, if you’re applying by phone or by post
If you’re backdating your claim, you’ll need details of your income, savings and investments on the date you want your claim to start.
Apply online
You can use the online service if:
you have already claimed your State Pension
there are no children or young people included in your claim
To check your entitlement, phone the Pension Credit helpline on 0800 99 1234 or use the GOV.UK Pension Credit calculator here to find out how much you could get.
To keep up to date with the latest pensions news, join our Money Saving Scotland Facebook page here, follow us on Twitter @Record_Money, or subscribe to our newsletter which goes out Monday to Friday - sign up here.
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