Eligible pensioners can get more than £4,000 per year if they meet certain requirements.
Eligible pensioners with a severe disability can get an extra £86.05 per week from the DWP (Image: Getty)
State pensioners with a severe disability can get an extra £86.05 per week from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in July with a single claim.
People who have reached State Pension age in England, Scotland and Wales and are 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. Pension Credit rates increased by 4.8% at the start of the new tax on April 6 – in line with the State Pension – meaning eligible claimants can now top up their weekly income to £238 if they’re single, or their joint weekly income to £363.25 if they have a partner. But the additional amounts also increased from April 6, rising by 3.8%.
The uplift means that pensioners with a severe disability can get an extra £86.05 per week from the DWP, on top of their Pension Credit payment.
While current Pension Credit claimants with disabilities will have already benefited from the payment increase from April 6, those who are just reaching State Pension age in July can begin claiming the benefit if they are eligible and will receive the new 2026/27 higher rate in July and every month that follows until next April.
The State Pension age in the UK is currently in the process of rising from 66 to 67, with the increase being introduced graudally in one-month increments.
Under the DWP timetable, anyone born between May 6, 1960 and June 5, 1960, will reach State Pension age and, in turn, become eligble to claim Pension Credit if they’re on a low income – in July, at the recently uplfited 2026/27 rates, when they are exactly 66 years and two months old.
The £86.05 weekly rate for Pension Credit claimants with a severe disability applies to single pensioners or couples where one person qualifies. Over a full year, it amounts to £4,474.60 in additional payments from the DWP, on top of Pension Credit.
According to the DWP, 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
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%.”
Not only can pensioners get this extra amount if they have a disability, but Pension Credit also opens the door to a swathe of other financial support, including housing benefit, a Winter Fuel Payment worth up to £300, a Council Tax discount, free TV licences 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, among others.
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.