If you are coming up to retirement age, then you may be thinking about getting your finances in order and working out how much you'll receive in pension and other payments. But did you know that there are certain Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) payments that stop when you reach State Pension age?
State Pension age is the earliest age you can start receiving your State Pension. This may be different to the age you can get a workplace or personal pension.
A forced retirement at 65 no longer exists, in fact, the age at which people can retire and receive the State Pension continues to change. The 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. There are two further increases to the qualifying age which have been set out in legislation and are 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.
READ MORE: DWP Winter Fuel Payment eligibility for the £600 payment plus when and how to claim
State Pension provides essential financial support every four weeks for more than 12.5 million people across the UK. Nottinghamshire Live sister publication, Daily Record, says anyone approaching the official age of retirement, should be 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.
Helpfully, the Government website provides a tool that checks the date that individuals can claim State Pension, free bus travel and Pension Credit, as well as how much you are likely to get. Check the page at GOV.UK here.
The benefits affected by your pension age
National charity, Turn2us, which provides practical help to people struggling financially, has created a guide to the benefits you cannot claim from the DWP when you reach State Pension age or Pension Credit age. Its website details a range of support and gives full details on each of the topics listed below.
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) or Personal Independence Payment (PIP) once you have reached State Pension age. However, if you were already receiving DLA or PIP, 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.
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 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.
READ NEXT:
Second cost of living payment details and when tax credit claimants will receive £324
Lidl posts 3-item per person rationing signs amid fears other supermarkets will follow
Martin Lewis issues urgent interest rate warning to all savings account holders
Thousands of universal credit claimants could miss out on Christmas bonus payment
