The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) recently announced new plans to continue encouraging more than 11 million people of State Pension age to check if they qualify for an annual income boost worth over £3,500.
In the new year, DWP will write to older people across the UK as part of the annual uprating of State Pension, advising them about the new payment rates. It will also include updated information on Pension Credit to encourage take-up of the benefit, which can be a passport to additional help with housing, heating and Council Tax.
However, DWP has also confirmed that it has no plans to change its policy on the benefit in relation to married couples where one partner is below State Pension age, which is currently 66 for both men and women across the UK. The response came after SNP MP Peter Grant asked DWP whether an assessment of the “potential merits” of changing the eligibility criteria for Pension Credit, specifically around mixed age couples, had been considered.
