State pensioners handed £86 weekly extra with one condition from April (Image: Getty)
State pensioners with a severe disability can get an extra £86.05 per week from the DWP in June with a single claim. Pensioners on a low income can get weekly payments to help with living costs by claiming pension credit, but in cases where someone has a severe disability, the benefit can be topped up with additional amounts. At the start of the new tax year on April 6, the standard minimum guarantee for pension credit rose by 4.8% – in line with the state pension – which means the single rate is now worth £238 per week, up from £227.10, while the joint rate is now set at £363.25 per week, up from £346.60.
But it’s possible for some claimants to get paid extra cash on top of the standard pension credit rate. The DWP will pay additional amounts to support claimants with severe disabilities and this rate increased by 3.8% in April, taking weekly payments up to £86.05, and the DWP will continue to pay this amount to eligible claimants every month until next April.
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Eligible pensioners with a severe disability can get an extra £86.05 per week from the DWP (Image: Getty)
The £86.05 weekly rate applies to single pensioners or couples where one person qualifies. Over a full year, this amounts to £4,474.60 in additional payments from the DWP, on top of pension credit.
Confirming the 3.8% rise to the pension credit additional amount for severe disabilities in November last year, Baroness Sherlock, Minister of State (Minister of Lords), said: “The Standard Minimum Guarantee in Pension Credit will increase by 4.8% in line with the increase in average earnings. From April, it will be £238.00 a week for a single pensioner and £363.25 a week for a couple, ensuring the incomes of the poorest pensioners are protected.
“Other State Pension and benefit rates covered by my statutory review will be increased by 3.8%, in line with the increase in the consumer prices index in the year to September 2025.
“This includes most working-age benefits and other benefits for people below State Pension age; benefits to help with additional needs arising from disability; Statutory Payments including Statutory Sick Pay and Statutory Maternity Pay; and Additional State Pension. The Pension Credit Savings Credit maximum amount will also increase by 3.8%.”
The DWP says pensioners can get up to £86.05 per week extra if they get any of the following benefits:
- Attendance allowance
- Middle or highest rate from the care component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- Daily living component of personal independence payment (PIP)
- Armed Forces independence payment
- Daily living component of adult disability payment
- Pension age disability payment
- Middle or highest rate of the care component of Scottish adult disability living allowance
Not only can pensioners get this extra amount if they have a disability, but pension credit also opens the door to a wealth of other financial support.
This includes housing benefit, a winter fuel payment worth up to £300, a council tax discount, a free TV licence if you’re aged 75 or over, £150 off winter energy bills through the warm home discount scheme, and help with NHS dental treatment, glasses and transport costs.
To qualify for pension credit you must have reached state pension age and live in England, Scotland or Wales.
You can apply for it up to four months before reaching state pension age, or any time after, but your application can only be backdated by three months. This means you can get up to three months of pension credit in your first payment if you were eligible during that time.
You can use the Government’s online pension credit calculator to get an estimate of how much you could get and can contact the pension service helpline on 0800 99 1234 to check if you’re eligible for extra amounts.