Single, State Pension £180 a week
Estimated Guarantee Credit top-up: £58.00 a week. Your minimum income level: £238.00 a week (single £238.00).
Money · Pensioners 2026/27
Pension Credit calculator 2026/27
Pension Credit tops your weekly income up to £238 if you are single or £363.25 if you have a partner (2026/27), plus extra amounts for disability, caring and children. Enter your income below for an estimate. The Pension Service decides.
£238.00 a weekSingle minimum income; £363.25 for a couple
Estimate your Pension Credit top-up for 2026/27
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Use weekly amounts before tax. For a monthly amount, multiply by 12 and divide by 52. This estimates the Guarantee Credit part only; the Pension Service makes the actual decision.
Estimated Guarantee Credit top-up: £58.00 a week
- Pension Credit tops your weekly income up to your minimum income level, and this is the gap on the figures entered.
- Your minimum income level: £238.00 a week (single £238.00).
- Income counted: £180.00 a week.
- Over 52 weeks that is about £3016.00, if nothing changed.
- Not included: housing costs (such as ground rent or service charges), care homes, time abroad, deferred pensions and the EU Settlement Scheme rules. The Pension Service decides.
An estimate from GOV.UK's published 2026/27 rates, not a decision. Savings are counted at £1 a week for each £500, or part of £500, over £10,000 (Pension Credit Regulations 2002, regulation 15(6)).
Check and apply online (GOV.UK); Pension Service helpline 0800 99 1234, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.
Worked answers
Five worked answers from this calculator
The incomes are made-up illustrations, not typical figures. Each button loads the example into the calculator above.
Couple with £300 a week between them
Estimated Guarantee Credit top-up: £63.25 a week. Your minimum income level: £363.25 a week (couple £363.25).
Single, severe disability extra, £250 a week
Estimated Guarantee Credit top-up: £74.05 a week. Your minimum income level: £324.05 a week (single £238.00 plus £86.05 of extra amounts).
Single, £200 a week and £12,600 savings
Estimated Guarantee Credit top-up: £32.00 a week. Your minimum income level: £238.00 a week (single £238.00).
Single carer with £270 a week
Estimated Guarantee Credit top-up: £16.15 a week. Your minimum income level: £286.15 a week (single £238.00 plus £48.15 of extra amounts).
2026/27 weekly rates
Pension Credit minimum income and extra amounts
From GOV.UK. The April 2027 rates were not published when this page was checked.
| Item | Weekly amount |
|---|---|
| Weekly income topped up to: single | £238.00 |
| Weekly income topped up to: couple | £363.25 |
| Severe disability, each qualifying person | £86.05 |
| Carer, each person getting Carer's Allowance or Carer Support Payment | £48.15 |
| Each child or young person | £69.98 |
| First child born before 6 April 2017 | £81.07 |
| Disabled child, lower rate | £37.93 |
| Disabled child, higher rate | £118.46 |
| Savings Credit, up to (State Pension age reached before 6 April 2016): single | £17.96 |
| Savings Credit, up to: couple | £20.10 |
Income and savings
What counts as income, and what does not
GOV.UK says your income includes State Pension, other pensions, earnings from employment and self-employment, and most social security benefits, for example Carer's Allowance. If you have a partner, your income is calculated together.
These are not counted: Adult Disability Payment, Attendance Allowance, Child Benefit, Christmas Bonus, Council Tax Reduction, Disability Living Allowance, Housing Benefit, Pension Age Disability Payment, Personal Independence Payment, Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance and social fund payments like Winter Fuel Payment.
Savings and investments of £10,000 or less do not affect Pension Credit. Above that, every £500 over £10,000 counts as £1 of income a week: £11,000 of savings counts as £2 a week. A part of £500 counts as a full £1 (regulation 15(6) of the State Pension Credit Regulations 2002), so £10,001 counts as £1 a week and £10,501 as £2. Deferred pensions you have not claimed still count as income, at the amount you would get.
Limits of this estimate
When you need an official assessment
This calculator does not work out these, so ask the Pension Service (0800 99 1234) if any apply to you:
- Housing costs, such as ground rent, some service charges and site rents. They can add to your minimum income.
- Savings Credit, if you reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016. You might get some even without Guarantee Credit.
- Going into a care home or hospital, which must be reported.
- Being away from Great Britain. You can usually keep Pension Credit for 4 weeks or less away, but you cannot apply from abroad.
- A partner under State Pension age. You stop getting Pension Credit if you start living with one, with some older cases protected.
- EU, Swiss, Norwegian, Icelandic or Liechtenstein nationals, who usually also need settled or pre-settled status.
- Northern Ireland, where Pension Credit is run separately. nidirect: understanding Pension Credit.
Claiming
How to apply for Pension Credit
You can start up to 4 months before you reach State Pension age. Applications can be backdated by 3 months. Apply online if you have already applied for your State Pension, by phone on the claim line 0800 99 1234 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm), or by post. Apply online; GOV.UK: how to claim.
If you get Pension Credit you also automatically get Cold Weather Payments (Winter Heating Payment in Scotland), and may qualify for a free TV licence at 75 or over, NHS cost help with Guarantee Credit and the Warm Home Discount.
Winter payments
Pension Credit and your winter payments
Winter Fuel Payment does not count as income for Pension Credit. Check what you could get from the Winter Fuel Payment 2026/27 checker and the Cold Weather Payment 2026/27 checker, the Scotland Winter Heating Payment checker (Pension Credit can unlock Winter Heating Payment in Scotland), and see the State Pension increase for 2027 or the April 2027 benefits increase forecast.
Related
More pension and winter money checks.
Winter Fuel Payment 2026/27 checker
Born on or before 27 June 1960? Check whether you get £100 to £300 this winter and whether HMRC takes it back above £35,000.
Cold Weather Payment 2026/27 checker
£25 for each 7-day freeze from 1 November 2026: check whether your benefit qualifies and where Scotland differs.
Scotland Winter Heating Payment checker 2026/27
Living in Scotland? Check Winter Heating Payment (£62) and Pension Age Winter Heating Payment (£105.55 to £316.70) in one place.
State Pension increase 2027 calculator
The triple lock gives 3.9% for April 2027: see your new weekly, 4-weekly, monthly and yearly State Pension.
April 2027 benefits increase forecast
Universal Credit, Pension Credit, PIP, Attendance Allowance and Carer's Allowance from April 2027, worked out from September 2026 CPI of 3.5%. A forecast until DWP confirms.
Autumn Budget 2026 calculator
Budget day is 28 October 2026: check your 2026/27 take-home pay in the UK or Scotland, before and after.
Helpful answers
Pension Credit 2026/27 FAQs.
How much is Pension Credit in 2026/27?
Pension Credit tops your weekly income up to £238 if you are single or £363.25 if you have a partner. There are extra amounts for severe disability (£86.05), caring (£48.15), children and disabled children.
Does Winter Fuel Payment count as income for Pension Credit?
No. GOV.UK lists social fund payments like Winter Fuel Payment among the things that are not counted as income. Attendance Allowance, PIP, DLA, Child Benefit, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction are not counted either.
Can I get Pension Credit if I have savings?
Yes. Savings and investments of £10,000 or less do not affect it. Above that, every £500 over £10,000 counts as £1 of weekly income. You can get Pension Credit even if you have other income, savings or own your home.
Is Pension Credit the same as State Pension?
No. Pension Credit is separate from your State Pension. It is extra money for people over State Pension age on a low income, and your State Pension counts as income when it is worked out.
How do I apply for Pension Credit?
Apply online on GOV.UK, by phone on 0800 99 1234 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm) or by post. You can apply up to 4 months before State Pension age, and a claim can be backdated by 3 months.
Will Pension Credit go up in April 2027?
DWP had not published its 2027 to 2028 benefit rates when this page was last checked on 29 October 2026, so the figures here are the 2026/27 rates. They will be updated once DWP confirms new ones.
Sources, opened 29 October 2026: GOV.UK, Pension Credit; eligibility; what you'll get; how to claim; nidirect. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. A guide, not a benefit decision.