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Pension Credit is extra money to top up your income.

You can get it even if you have some savings, or if you have a second pension or your own home.

• Use the Pension Credit calculator now to see how much you might get

• Check the Pension Credit charts to see if you're likely to be eligible Opens new window

• Help with PDF files

What is Pension Credit?

There are two parts to Pension Credit: Guarantee Credit and Savings Credit

• Guarantee Credit - this may be paid to you if you've reached the qualifying age. It tops up your weekly income to a guaranteed minimum
• Savings Credit - this is for those who have saved some money towards their retirement. You may be able to get it if you're 65 or over

So if you have reached the qualifying age, you may get Guarantee Credit. If you're 65 or over, you may get Savings Credit on its own, or with Guarantee Credit.

The average Pension Credit award for those currently claiming is around £57 per week.

The Pension Credit qualifying age is gradually increasing for men and women to 66 by 2020. To find out the date you wll reach the Pension Credit qualifying age you can use the State Pension age calculator.

• Calculating your State Pension age

Can you get Pension Credit?

You may be able to get Pension Credit if you've reached the qualifying age and have an income of less than:

• £142.70 per week for a single person
• £217.90 per week for couples

If you're 65 or over, you may still get Pension Credit even if your income is up to:

• £189 per week for a single person
• £277 per week for couples

These amounts may be more if you are a carer, if you have a severe disability, or if you have extra housing costs, like a mortgage. You should contact the Pension Service to see if you can get Pension Credit.

• Get a Pension Credit estimate using the online calculator Opens new window

Your savings rewarded

The first £10,000 of your savings will be ignored when working out if you can get Pension Credit. Call the Pension Service on 0800 99 1234 to see if you’re eligible.

Phone lines are open Monday to Friday, from 8.00 am to 8.00 pm. If you have speech or hearing difficulties and use a textphone, call 0800 169 0133.

Calls to these numbers are free from BT landlines. You may have to pay if you use another phone company, a mobile phone or if you're calling from abroad.

What does this mean for people like you?

Here's how others feel about getting Pension Credit.

Margaret's story

"I have three grandchildren and they're the greatest joys of my life. Getting Pension Credit means once I've paid my bills I can still spoil them - whether that's for their birthdays or an occasional treat. Well, that's what grandparents do, isn't it?"

Margaret, 81

Bill's story

"I've never had to worry about what's round the corner. But after dipping into our savings to fix a leaky roof, I started thinking - what if something else were to go wrong? I feel like I have peace of mind again since I found out about Pension Credit. We get an extra £30 a week and I don't worry about things like the washer going on the blink."

Bill, 76

What else could you get?

If you get Pension Credit, you could also be eligible for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.

You will also be eligible for Cold Weather Payments. For winter 2011/12 the payments were £25 for each period of cold weather. Find out more about Cold Weather Payments by following the link below.

• Cold Weather Payment

More information

For more information on Pension Credit, follow the link below.

• Pension Credit - find out more