Free Pension Credit advice comes from the DWP claim line, Age UK, Citizens Advice and Independent Age, and each helps in a slightly different way.

You can claim Pension Credit yourself, but you do not have to work out your entitlement alone. Four free routes are covered below, with what each is good for. If a workplace pot is still undecided once your claim is in, Pension Wise gives free guidance on it, or an FCA-authorised adviser will discuss the pot with you free; the form on this page collects contact details, nothing else.

Who can give free Pension Credit advice?

GOV.UK's claiming guide says: "Contact a voluntary organisation like Citizens Advice or Age UK if you need help with the form." Beyond those two, the options split by what you need:

  • The Pension Service claim line (DWP): to claim by phone or ask for a paper form, and to ask about extra amounts.
  • Age UK: a phone benefits check, a local office and its own online calculator.
  • Independent Age: a helpline offering benefits checks and help with forms.
  • Citizens Advice: guidance before you claim, help with your claim and appeals, plus a local adviser.
  • Online calculators: a quick estimate before you ring anyone.

The weekly figures Pension Credit tops you up to are on how much Pension Credit you can get, and who qualifies is on who gets Pension Credit. The claiming steps are on how to apply.

Pension Credit advice line: what the DWP claim line does

The Pension Credit claim line is 0800 99 1234, open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. Use it to claim over the phone or request a paper form. It is also where GOV.UK sends you about extra amounts: "Contact the Pension Service helpline if you’re not sure whether you’re eligible for extra amounts." The extras cover severe disability, caring, children and some housing costs.

A friend or family member can ring for you if you cannot use the phone yourself. Changes after you have claimed go to a different number, the Pension Service helpline on 0800 731 0469 (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm, except public holidays); see changes of circumstances.

Can Age UK or Independent Age help with Pension Credit?

Yes, both run free phone services that check what you might be owed, which goes wider than Pension Credit.

Age UK. The Advice Line (0800 678 1602) takes calls from 8am until 7pm every day of the year. You can "have a benefit check completed over the telephone and your results will be sent to you". Local Age UKs have specialist advisers, and the charity's Pension Credit page (last updated 26 August 2026) says to contact one "if you need help at any stage". Its online benefits calculator covers England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales; the results are "a helpful estimate", not a decision.

Independent Age. Its Helpline is 0800 319 6789, open Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5.30pm, and closed on bank holidays. It offers "free, confidential benefits checks to people who have reached State Pension age or who will reach it within six months", and its Pension Credit page says an adviser can help you complete the form.

Can Citizens Advice help with Pension Credit?

Yes. Its Pension Credit section follows the stages of a claim: before you claim, help with your claim, and appeals. It also makes a point that suits a borderline case: "If you think you won't get much Pension Credit, it could still be worth applying."

To speak to someone in England, ring Adviceline on 0800 144 8848, which connects you to a local Citizens Advice. It is usually available 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, but not on public holidays, and calls are free from mobiles and landlines. Wales has a separate Advicelink line, and Scotland has Citizens Advice Scotland. Most local offices can only help people who live or work in their area.

Which benefits calculator should I use?

GOV.UK describes a benefits calculator as "independent, free and anonymous" and lists three for income-related benefits: entitledto, Turn2us and Policy in Practice. Each gives an estimate of what you could get and how it changes with your circumstances. Have your savings, income (a partner's too), benefits and pensions, and outgoings to hand.

One limit is worth knowing: entitledto says an individual account has "a fair use limit of 10 calculations per year", so get your figures together first. GOV.UK's Pension Credit calculator page also points to the online claim service: if you have already applied for your State Pension, it gives you the option to check whether you might get Pension Credit before you apply.

In Scotland, advice.scot (Advice Direct Scotland) has a free benefits calculator and a phone line on 0808 800 9060. No calculator decides anything; the DWP does that when you claim.

What should I have ready before I ask for help?

The claim itself needs your National Insurance number, details of income, savings and investments, and bank details; the full checklist is on how to apply. A benefits check goes wider. Independent Age says its adviser will usually ask about:

  • any occupational or private pensions, and any benefits you already get;
  • your earnings, if you are working;
  • any savings or investments;
  • rent or mortgage and service charges, and your Council Tax.

Bring details of any pension you have not started to draw as well: GOV.UK counts what you would expect it to pay as income, even before you claim it. Having it all written down makes a short call much more useful.

How does claiming fit with a pension pot and other benefits?

Claiming can open other help, such as Housing Benefit if you rent, Council Tax Reduction and, on the Guarantee Credit part, help with NHS costs; GOV.UK's full list, with each one's conditions, is on how much Pension Credit you can get.

Savings and pots are where the rules bite. GOV.UK says holding up to £10,000 in savings and investments leaves Pension Credit untouched; above that, "every £500 over £10,000 counts as £1 income a week". DWP's guide for advisers adds that a whole pension pot withdrawn is taken into account if it takes total capital over the £10,000 threshold, and that "if your customer spends, transfers or gives away any money taken from their pension pot, the usual rules on deprivation of capital will apply". Nothing here is a reason to move money in order to qualify, and the deprivation rules are why not. Mention any withdrawal you are planning when you ask for a benefits check.

The claim and the pot do not have to be settled in one go: when you are ready to look at the pot, an FCA-authorised adviser will ring for no charge if you use this page's form. Pension Wise is the other route for pots; see what Pension Wise is and free pension help more widely.

Questions people ask about Pension Credit help

Is there a Pension Credit helpline number?

Yes: 0800 99 1234 for the Pension Service claim line, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm; changes to a claim you already have go to 0800 731 0469. Age UK, Independent Age and Citizens Advice each run their own lines, listed above.

Is Age UK's Pension Credit advice free?

Age UK calls its Advice Line "free". Local Age UKs are another route.

Can Citizens Advice check whether I am eligible for Pension Credit?

Its Pension Credit pages set out the age, income and savings tests, and its Adviceline connects you to a local office. Have your income and savings details ready.

Can someone phone the claim line for me?

GOV.UK says "A friend or family member can call for you if you cannot use the phone."

What if my Pension Credit claim is turned down?

GOV.UK says you can challenge a decision by asking for mandatory reconsideration. Age UK says someone refused in the past can put in a fresh claim every year.

Whichever helpline you ring first, the pension choices can wait for a separate chat, and the quick form here arranges it with an FCA-authorised adviser; the call costs nothing.