You may not realise that certain benefits end once you get your State Pension (Image: Getty)
Brits are reminded that certain benefits will cease to be available once they reach retirement age. It is crucial to understand that when your State Pension begins, some other Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) payments will stop.
Recent DWP statistics reveal that the State Pension is currently delivering financial assistance to approximately 13 million people throughout the UK. This regular payment is presently valued at up to £230.25 weekly for those receiving the New State Pension (claimed after April 6, 2016), or £176.45 per week for the Basic State Pension (Category A or B).
According to the Daily Record, the amount someone receives from this contributory benefit is determined by the number of National Insurance years they have accumulated before reaching the current retirement age of 66 – a minimum of 10 years is required to qualify for any State Pension payment. This will begin increasing to 67 from April for individuals.
The UK Government has also modified how the State Pension age increase is implemented, meaning that rather than reaching State Pension age on a particular date, those born between March 6, 1961 and April 5, 1977 will become eligible to claim the State Pension upon turning 67.
The proposed adjustment to the official retirement age has been legislated since 2014, with an additional increase from 67 to 68 anticipated to take effect between 2044 and 2046.
Around 13 million people in the UK currently receive State Pension (Image: Getty)
For those nearing the official retirement age of 66 before the conclusion of the current fiscal year (April 5, 2026), it is crucial to understand which benefits will persist, new ones you may now be eligible for, and those for which you can no longer submit a new claim.
Your State Pension age aligns with your Pension Credit qualifying age unless you are a man born prior to December 6, 1953. You can verify your State Pension age and determine whether you’re eligible to begin claiming Pension Credit on the “Check your State Pension age” section of the GOV.UK website here.
Benefits affected by your pension age
Turn2us has created an essential guide to the benefits you cannot claim from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) when you reach State Pension age or Pension Credit age. For full details on each of the topics listed below, visit the Turn2us website here.
Pension Credit age
When you reach State Pension age you can no longer claim:
- Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance
- Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
- Income Support
- Universal Credit
Turn2us advises: “If you live with a partner and one of you is pension age and the other is not yet pension age, benefit entitlement can be complicated.”
Use the Turn2us benefit calculator to see what benefits you’re entitled to, or get help from a benefits adviser.
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State Pension age
When you reach State Pension age you can no longer claim:
- Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
- Contributory/New Style Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
You cannot make a new claim for Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Adult Disability Payment (ADP) – the devolved disability benefit has now replaced all new and existing claims for PIP for people in Scotland – once you have reached State Pension age.
However, if you were already receiving DLA, PIP, or ADP you can renew the claim even though you are over State Pension age. This can only be done as long as you are claiming for the same health conditions you received the award for and your last claim ended less than 12 months before you reached State Pension age.
People living in Scotland currently receiving DLA will be transferred to the new devolved Social Security Scotland system before the end of December.
Bereavement Support Payment and Widowed Parent’s Allowance are also not available once you reach State Pension age.
Benefits not affected by your State Pension age
You can claim these benefits even if you are over State Pension age:
- Child Benefit (delivered by HMRC)
- Carer’s Allowance – you may not be eligible for the full financial element depending on your income from State Pension
- Guardian’s Allowance
- Statutory Sick Pay (SSP)
You can also claim these benefits even if you are over State Pension age, but only if you meet the benefit-specific income threshold:
For more details about benefits when you reach State Pension age, visit the Turn2Us website here.