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Retirement Benefits and Other Benefits for the Over Sixties In The UK

Retirement benefits are state benefits which you may receive, depending on your personal circumstances, when you reach retirement age.

Many older people fail to claim all the retirement benefits they are entitled to and, as a group, they are missing out on millions of pounds of state benefits. This is often left to their children and relatives to find out exactly what can be claimed and make the relevant applications on their behalf as attorneys or appointees.

Listed below are the main retirement benefits and other benefits in the UK when you are over sixty.

Retirement Benefits

Basic State Pension -
State pension age is currently 60 for women and 65 for men. A man cannot get Retirement Pension until he is 65. However, once he is over 60 he can claim any other retirement benefits that a woman over 60 can claim. State pension age is changing so that men and women have the same state pension age, but this is happening gradually. It will affect you if you are a woman born after 5 April 1950.

If you are a woman born after 5 April 1950, you can use the retirement calculator to check when you will reach state pension age

State Second Pension (S2P) -

The basic State Pension could be topped up by the State Second Pension. S2P is a replacement of state earnings related pension scheme (SERPS). So if you've contributed to the SERPS you could be entitled to an additional pension when you retire. It's advisable to check with the Department of Work and Pensions to see if you are entitled to it.

The Graduated Pension

Department of Work and Pensions

Pension Credit

Guarantee Credit

£130 if you are single and £198.45 if you have a partner.

Savings Credit
If you are aged 65 or over and living in Great Britain you may be entitled to Savings Credit. You may get the Savings Credit on its own or with the Guarantee Credit. You may be entitled to Savings Credit if you:

* are aged 65 or over
* have made some provision towards your retirement such as savings or a second pension

If you have a partner, at least one of you must be 65 or over to get the Savings Credit.

The Savings Credit can be up to:

£20.40 a week if you are single
£27.03 a week if you have a partner

You may still get the Savings Credit even if the money you have coming in is up to about:

£181 a week if you are single
£266 a week if you have a partner

You can check the amount of your retirement benefits by getting in touch with the Department of Work and Pensions for a pension forecast. You've worked hard for these retirement benefits, so please make sure that you claim them.

Non Retirement Benefits

Council Tax Benefit

Council Tax Benefit in England, Wakes and Scotland is a means-tested benefit to help people on low income pay their council tax bill. You may get Council Tax Benefit if you pay Council Tax and your income and capital (savings and investments) are below a certain level. You may apply whether you rent or own your home, or live rent-free. You could qualify if you are out of work, or in work and earning a wage.

If you have savings of over £16,000 you can't normally get Council Tax Benefit, unless you're aged 60 or over and getting the 'guarantee credit' of Pension Credit.

Check your eligibilty for council tax benefit
Housing Benefit

Housing Benefit is a means-tested benefit. If you're on a low income, whether you're working or not, and need financial help to pay all or part of your rent, you may be able to get Housing Benefit.

You can't usually get Housing Benefit if:

* you have savings of over £16,000, unless you are aged 60 or over and getting the 'guarantee credit' of Pension Credit
* you live in the home of a close relative
* you're a full-time student (unless you're disabled or have children)
* you're an asylum seeker or are sponsored to be in the UK

Check your eligibility for housing benefit

Local Housing Allowance

If you are a private tenant renting property or room from a private landlord and you are on a low income, you may be able to claim and receive Local Housing Allowance.

If you are renting a property or room from a private landlord, the Local Housing Allowance is used to work out how much Housing Benefit you get.
If you have been getting Housing Benefit since before 7 April 2008 the Local Housing Allowance will only apply to you if you:

* change address
* have a break in your claim

With the Local Housing Allowance, your Housing Benefit is worked out according to where you live and who lives with you. Local Housing Allowance rates are set for different types of accommodation in each area. The rates range from a single room in a shared house up to properties with five bedrooms.

More details on Local Housing Allowance.

Winter Fuel Allowance

If you are aged 60 or over you may get a Winter Fuel Payment to help pay for keeping warm in winter. This can be between £125 and £400 depending on your situation.

You may get a Winter Fuel Payment for winter 2009–10 if both the following apply:

* you were aged 60 or over, on or before 27 September 2009
* you lived in Great Britain or Northern Ireland on any day between 21–27 September 2009 (or, in some circumstances, in another EEA country or Switzerland)

You won’t qualify for a Winter Fuel Payment if, during the week of 21–27 September 2009:

* you were in hospital for more than 52 weeks previously, getting free treatment as an inpatient
* you were in custody serving a court sentence
* you were subject to immigration control and did not qualify for help from the Department for Work and Pensions
* you lived in a care home, an independent hospital or Ilford Park Polish Resettlement Home (and had done so for the previous 12 weeks or more) and you were on Pension Credit, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance or income-related Employment and Support Allowance

If you are unsure if you are eligible, you can call the Winter Fuel Payments helpline.

Winter Fuel Payments Helpline

Warm Front Grants

If you need help paying for heating and insulation improvements in your privately owned or rented home, you, your partner or civil partner may be able to get money from the government's Warm Front grants scheme if, for example, you're receiving income or disability-related benefits.

You may be eligible if you're aged 60 or over and get any of the following:

* Pension Credit (Savings or Guarantee elements)
* Council Tax Benefit
* Housing Benefit
* income-based Jobseeker's Allowance

You can find out if you qualify for a Warm Front grant over the phone.

You'll need to complete an application form before a Home Energy Adviser visits you to assess and recommend work for your property.

You can call Eaga Partnership, the Warm Front Scheme Manager on freephone 0800 316 2805, textphone 0800 072 0156 (from 8.00 am to 6.00 pm Monday to Friday).

Warm Front Grants are available in England only. In Wales the Home Energy Efficiency Scheme in Wales (HEES Wales) provides a grant to make your home warmer, more energy efficient, safer and more secure.
Cold Weather Payments

If you're on a low income, a Cold Weather Payment will help you with extra heating costs during very cold weather in your area.

Who is eligible? You may be eligible for a Cold Weather Payment for each week of very cold weather in your area if you get Pension Credit.
You may also be eligible for a Cold Weather Payment for each qualifying week if you are getting Income Support or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance and have a child under five or get one of the following:
•a pensioner premium, higher pensioner premium or enhanced pensioner premium
•a disability premium or severe disability premium
•a disabled child premium
•Child Tax Credit that includes an individual element for a child or qualifying young person who is disabled or severely disabled.

How much do you get? This year you will get £25 when the average temperature where you live is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees Celsius or below over seven consecutive days during the period from 1 November to 31 March. Specified Meteorological Office weather stations are used to obtain this information.

You don't need to apply; you'll get a Cold Weather Payment automatically as long as you qualify.

Many retirees are missing out on their retirement benefits because they are unaware of what they are entitled to. These retirement benefits are your entitlement and they are there waiting to be claimed. Get in touch with the Department of Work and Pensions to find out what retirement benefits you are entitled to claim and apply for them.

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