DWP confirms £47.23 cash boost for state pensioners on their own | Personal Finance | Finance

State pensioners on low incomes and who don’t have a partner can get an extra cash boost of up to £47.23 in June thanks to a 4.8% boost which kicked in from April. The start of the new tax year on April 6 introduced a swathe of increases to benefits and pensions, with claimants continuing to reap the benefits of these next month and every month that follows until next April. Pension credit was among the benefits to get a significant increase at 4.8%, the same as the state pension which went up in line with the triple lock.

Thanks to this, the standard minimum guarantee for pension credit is now worth up to £238 per week for single claimants without a partner, up from £227.10 per week previously. Across the full tax year, this amounts to an £566.80 increase for single pension credit claimants, which averages £47.23 a month when averaged out across a 12-month period.

You can claim pension credit if you’re of state pension age, live in England, Scotland or Wales, and are on a low income.

The benefit provides extra money to help with living costs and it is paid separately to the state pension. You can claim it even if you have other income, savings or you own your own home, and thanks to the 4.8% uplift in April, the benefit is now worth £4,300 per year on average, according to the DWP.

But it’s not just the extra cash each month that pensioners will benefit from as pension credit also unlocks access to wealth of other financial support. This includes things like housing costs, a council tax reduction, free TV licences and help with NHS treatment costs, among others.

Confirming the State Pension and Pension Credit increases from April 6, the DWP said: “The government has already delivered above-inflation increases worth up to £395 in real terms over this Parliament. By its end, pensioners’ annual incomes are expected to rise by up to £2,100 – boosting financial security for millions.

“Pension Credit will also rise by 4.8% and be worth an average of £4,300 a year, unlocking further support including help with housing costs, council tax and free television licenses. Between 2026 and 2027, the government will provide a £6 billion boost to spending on State Pensions and pensioner benefits.”

The DWP launched a trial at the end of last year in a bid to boost pension credit take up after analysis showed large regional disparities, with uptake lowest in the south west.

At the time, Minister for Pensions Torsten Bell said: “We’re committed to supporting harder-up pensioners however we can. Pension Credit is a simple way to give those who need it the most some extra support with bills or a free TV licence.

“I’d urge anyone who thinks they, or anyone they know, might be able to claim Pension Credit, to take a few minutes out of their day to check and apply. This country’s pensioners deserve every penny they are entitled to.”

When you apply for pension credit your income is calculated, which includes your state pension, other pensions, earnings from employment and self-employment and most social security benefits.

You can use the DWP’s pension credit calculator to get an estimate of how much you could get and you can start your application up to four months before you reach state pension age.

You can apply any time after you reach state pension age but your application can only be backdated by three months, so you’ll get up to three months of pension credit in your first payment if you were eligible during that time.