DWP urged to change ‘mixed age couples’ Pension Credit eligibility rule

The rule means couples can only claim benefits such as Pension Credit – worth on average £4,300 a year – when both partners have reached State Pension age

The charity Independent Age, alongside 12 other organisations, has written to Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden calling on the UK Government to abolish the ‘mixed age couples’ rule for means-tested benefits administered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Under the current rule, couples are only eligible to claim benefits such as Pension Credit – worth on average £4,300 annually – once both partners have reached State Pension age. Campaigners argue the existing regulations leave some low-income households thousands of pounds worse off each year when one partner is younger than the other.

The charities say affected couples can lose out on support worth up to £7,000 per year because they are required to claim Universal Credit rather than Pension Credit. Universal Credit is paid at a lower rate and is primarily intended for working-age households.

The organisations caution that the problem could become even more acute as the State Pension age continues to rise from 66 to 67 between now and 2028 – a gradual increase to the official retirement age which began in April, reports the Daily Record.

Fresh polling commissioned by Independent Age revealed that 62 per cent of people believe couples should be able to access pension age entitlements once one partner reaches State Pension age.

Independent Age chief executive Joanna Elson said: “Every day we hear from older people struggling to make ends meet, and for thousands of mixed age couples the system is making that struggle even harder. This rule is unfairly locking around 70,000 older people out of vital pension age support simply because their partner is younger.

“The financial support they are missing out on could be the difference between heating and eating or paying the rent.”

The charities also cautioned that the current system presumes younger partners are financially capable of supporting the household, which they argue fails to reflect the reality faced by many families where an individual may be unable to work due to poor health or caring responsibilities.

Jan Shortt, General Secretary, National Pensioners Convention said: “To treat people differently on the basis of who they fall in love with is nonsense. Mixed age couples are suffering financially because they cannot access the support they need.

“Decisions made by the government penalise mixed age couples and this must be addressed to enable them to be financially secure in the future.”

Lynn, 62, from Eastbourne, revealed that she and her husband David have faced significant financial hardship as a direct result of the rule. She explained that having initially been awarded Pension Credit, the couple subsequently discovered they were ineligible, as they were classified as a mixed age couple.

Lynn said: “We were told we could claim Pension Credit, but after seven months of receiving it we got a letter saying there had been a mistake and we weren’t entitled to it because we are a mixed age couple. For the first time ever, we had to turn to a food bank to get by.”

The charities are urging the UK Government to scrap the regulation and permit couples to claim Pension Credit and other pension age benefits once the older partner reaches State Pension age. Further details regarding the campaign can be found on the Independent Age website.