PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
(17 December 2024)

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department is taking steps to ensure that people entitled to (a) Pension Credit uplifts and (b) other pension uplifts receive them automatically; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of implementing a system that allows those uplifts to be applied without requiring additional claims from eligible recipients.

Asked by:
Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat)

A Pension Credit award can include additional amounts for:

• Severe disability;
• Caring for a disabled person;
• Children that the claimant is responsible for; and
• Certain housing costs.

These additional amounts can increase or uplift the value of a Pension Credit award.

When a new Pension Credit claim is made, any additional amounts are applied to the award, as a matter of course, based on the claimant’s circumstances. A separate claim for these additional amounts is not needed.

If an existing claimant’s circumstances change, their Pension Credit award can be adjusted to reflect the change – for example including or removing additional amounts. A new claim is not required as the adjustment can be made either by the claimant reporting a change of circumstance or on the initiative of the Department.

Following the Secretary of State’s statutory annual review of state pension and benefit rates in the Autumn, the rates for the basic and new State Pension and the Standard Minimum Guarantee in Pension Credit will increase by 4.1%. Other state pension and benefit rates covered by the statutory review will be increased by 1.7%. Subject to Parliamentary approval, the new rates will take effect from 7 April 2025 and will be applied automatically without the need for a claim.

The full list of proposed benefit and pension rates can be found at Benefit and pension rates 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK.

Answered by:
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1 January 1970