With Pension Awareness Week taking place this month, it’s a great time to check whether you or someone you care about could be eligible to receive Pension Credit.

Pension Credit offers extra money to help with living costs and yet it’s one of the most underclaimed benefits. It’s separate to the State Pension and is a tax-free payment for those who have reached pension credit qualifying age and live in Great Britain.

As eligibility for Pension Credit is linked to age, it’s important to be aware of upcoming changes to the State Pension age. From 6 April 2026, the State Pension age will begin increasing from 66 to 67 in incremental stages, depending on a person’s date of birth. It’s particularly important for people born between 6 April 1960 and 5 March 1961 to check their State Pension age, as they will be the first group affected. Visit: www.gov.uk/state-pension-age to find out more.

For those who are eligible, Pension Credit tops up weekly income to a guaranteed minimum of £227.10 a week for single pensioners or £346.60 for couples. People may also receive additional amounts if they care for another adult (£46.40 a week), are severely disabled (£82.90 a week), or are responsible for a child or young person (from £67.42 a week). The Government’s Pension Credit calculator can tell you whether you’re eligible and how much you could be entitled to: www.gov.uk/pension-credit-calculator.

Claiming Pension Credit can open up a range of other benefits, including help with housing costs — from housing benefit (if you rent the property you live in), to support for mortgage interest (if you own the property you live in). It can also unlock help with council tax support, heating bills, and for those aged 75 or over, a free TV licence.

Sometimes a gentle nudge from a friend or family member can make all the difference. If you’re speaking with someone over State Pension age, please encourage them to explore Pension Credit and the additional benefits it could bring. To find out more, please visit: www.gov.uk/pension-credit.

If you or your partner receive certain benefits, you may also qualify for the Winter Fuel Payment, which is designed to help you cover your costs over the winter months: www.gov.uk/winter-fuel-payment.

Making sure that residents access the support that’s available is a top priority for us. Our Supporting You team is here to help — they’re a dedicated team of trained advisors who work hard to make a difference to people’s lives by helping to deal with a range of challenging issues at once. They work with services across the council to help residents maximise their income.

You can find out more about the team at: www.chichester.gov.uk/supportingyouteam, and you can contact them by emailing supportingyou@chichester.gov.uk or calling 01243 534860.

You can also find lots of useful information on our Supporting You web pages, at: www.chichester.gov.uk/supportingyoucampaign. On these pages, you will find a link to a free benefits and budgeting calculator. This helps you estimate your entitlement to a range of different benefits. Anyone can use this to see what support they may be eligible for. For example, it can be used by residents to compare income under both their current situation and Universal Credit. People can also save and download information about benefits and how to maximise income and see which benefits couples can claim to maximise joint income. People can then choose to share this information with an advisor, who can give additional support and provide tips on how to make savings.

Whether you need help with household bills, advice on health issues that may be affecting your work, support with food provision, and much more, I would really encourage you to get in touch with our Supporting You team — we’re here to help!

Best Wishes

Cllr Oona Hickson,

Cabinet Member for Housing, and Revenues and Benefits