Income Support / Pension Credit

Income Support is for people under 60 with no income or income below a minimum level, called the applicable amount. This is set by the government and the applicable amount varies with your circumstances. Premiums are added on the basis of your circumstances and the applicable amount can also include an amount to help with housing costs. If you pay rent and/or council tax, see below.

If you are over 60, you may be able to get Pension Credit. This comprises of a Guarantee Credit, calculated in a similar way to Income Support and it includes an extra element called the Savings Credit. It is applicable if you or your partner are over 65 and have qualifying income above your savings credit threshold.

Who can claim Income Support?

• Those who are not in paid work or those working for less than 16 hours a week (if you have a partner, they must work less than 24 hours a week)
• Most people who do not work must look for work to get benefit and claim Jobseeker's Allowance. Some people are not expected to look for work and can claim Income Support instead 
• Single parents, carers and people who are ill or have a disability benefit can claim

Some carers can claim Income Support without limiting the number of hours that they work. Both your income and savings will be taken into account if you claim Income Support.

• People with savings over £16,000 cannot get Income Support
• People with savings of £6,000 to £16,000 will get reduced benefit

Who can claim Pension credit?

For details on Pension Credit contact the Pension Service on 0800 99 1234  (or 0800 100 6165 in Northern Ireland)

How to claim

To apply for Income Support, contact your local social security office. The contact details will be in your local telephone directory. To apply for Pension Credit contact the Pension Service on 0800 99 1234  (or 0800 100 6165 in Northern Ireland)