"RJH" wrote in message
...
On 2 Aug 2020 at 10:05:22 BST, "T i m" wrote:

On Sun, 2 Aug 2020 07:31:35 +0100, Farmer Giles
wrote:

snip

Don't pension credits stop when you reach pensionable age? (Assuming
you haven't accumulated enough before then.)


Pension credits do, but Pension Credit is a top-up for those over 60
with no pension or otherwise on a low-income. That's what the poster
meant.

I did indeed and didn't think the two things were different (but
understand how they can be etc).

Eg, initially they may be a top up *towards* your pension (unable to
continue working near retirement age) and then it became a topup *of*
your pension if you weren't above a specific threshold?


I've just looked this up for someone - 70, but doesn't receive the full
pension (he gets about £150)

that seems like more than a full pension to me. (for a single person)

because, he says, he hasn't paid full NI.

According to the Age Concern Calculator, he should now get pension and
savings
credit, pushing his weekly income up to about the full pension. Plus other
benefits, like council tax rebates.

funnily enough, I have just downloaded a help sheet for this

and that says

"Savings Credits have been closed to new applicants since 2010"

so Age Concern see somewhat out of date there

So if that's correct, he could be a few thousand better off if he claims.
Does
seem a bit perverse to me - IIUC somebody on the basic 'full' pension with
no
other income wouldn't be entitled to these credit-benefits.

The payment is based around the concept of "Minimum Income Guarantee"

which is some way above the standard pension and assume that people have an
earnings related top up

but not everyone earned enough to accumulate that top up