PIP is not counted as income for Pension Credit, and its daily living part can open the door to an extra £86.05 a week in 2026/27.
So Pension Credit and PIP can be paid together, and for some people the pairing is what makes the claim work. Whether it does for you turns on who shares your home and whether anyone is paid Carer's Allowance for looking after you. If yours is unclear, an FCA-authorised adviser will weigh it up with you over the phone for nothing. Your part is simply the form on this page, then waiting for the phone to ring.
Does PIP count as income for Pension Credit?
No. DWP's Pension Credit eligibility page says "Not all benefits are counted as income" and lists Personal Independence Payment among those that are not, next to Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance, Adult Disability Payment and Pension Age Disability Payment. Most other social security benefits do count, and Carer's Allowance is the example given.
In practice a PIP award leaves the income test where it was. The 2026/27 top-up figures are £238 (single) and £363.25 (couple), and your PIP is not part of the income measured against them. PIP itself can be paid to someone who works or has savings.
What counts as income instead is covered on what counts as income for Pension Credit, and the sums behind the top-up are on how much Pension Credit you could get.
How the daily living part of PIP can raise your Pension Credit
Being ignored as income is only half of it. DWP says you could get an extra £86.05 a week in 2026/27 if you receive any of these: Attendance Allowance; the middle or highest care rate of Disability Living Allowance; the daily living component of PIP; the daily living component of Adult Disability Payment; or Pension Age Disability Payment. The mobility part of PIP is not on that list.
The regulations (Schedule I to the State Pension Credit Regulations 2002) treat a single claimant as severely disabled "if, and only if" three things are true:
- they receive one of those benefits, which for PIP means the daily living component at the standard or enhanced rate;
- "no person who has attained the age of 18 is normally residing with the claimant", other than the people the rules set aside; and
- nobody is entitled to and receiving Carer's Allowance (or Carer Support Payment in Scotland), or has Universal Credit with the carer element, for caring for them.
The people set aside include children and qualifying young people, anyone who is themselves getting one of the disability benefits above, and a non-relative paying to live there on a commercial basis. A co-owner or joint tenant can also be set aside, with extra conditions where they are a close relative. "Residing with" means sharing any accommodation other than a bathroom, lavatory or communal area.
Couples face their own version of the test. If both partners receive a qualifying benefit, no other adult lives with you and nobody is paid Carer's Allowance for either of you, the addition is £172.10; if someone is paid it for looking after just one of you, it is £86.05. Where only one partner has a qualifying benefit, the other must be certified severely sight impaired or blind, and nobody may be paid Carer's Allowance for the partner with the benefit.
The addition matters most to people whose income is above the standard figure. DWP says that if your income is higher you "might still be eligible for Pension Credit if you have a disability", and the severe disability amount is one of the extras that can apply. A claim that looks out of reach on income alone can therefore turn out differently. Whether the household around you passes the test is a question of fact about your home. Your own award letters are the missing piece, and a free conversation with an adviser, booked on the short form here, can fit them to these figures.
Can you get Pension Credit and PIP after State Pension age?
Pension Credit starts at State Pension age, so anyone claiming it is already there, and the PIP rules change at that point. GOV.UK says that over State Pension age you "cannot usually make a new claim for PIP" and can apply for Attendance Allowance instead. A fresh PIP claim stays open to anyone who was getting PIP or Adult Disability Payment within the past year.
Attendance Allowance is the over-pension-age route. It pays £76.70 or £114.60 a week in 2026/27, it does not cover mobility, and you do not need someone caring for you to claim. It cannot be paid alongside PIP, so you receive one or the other. For Pension Credit purposes the two sit in the same place: neither is income, and each can lead to the severe disability amount. A PIP award already being paid when you reach State Pension age can continue, DWP's detailed Pension Credit guide for advisers says, for as long as you still meet the qualifying conditions.
If you get neither, you can still claim Pension Credit, because it rests on income and not on disability. The disability amounts are extras on top.
PIP, Pension Credit and living in Scotland
GOV.UK's Pension Credit rules cover England, Scotland and Wales together, while Northern Ireland has its own page. What differs in Scotland is the benefit that does the PIP and Attendance Allowance job. Adult Disability Payment takes the place of PIP, and the Scottish Government says Pension Age Disability Payment is replacing Attendance Allowance, at weekly rates of £76.70 and £114.60. Someone on Adult Disability Payment stays on it after State Pension age.
Both appear in the Pension Credit lists above. Pension Age Disability Payment is not means-tested, and carers claim Carer Support Payment instead of Carer's Allowance. For the claim itself, see how to apply for Pension Credit.
What if someone cares for you, or you care for someone?
The carer side is the one place where benefits can pull against each other. DWP says you could get an extra £48.15 a week in Pension Credit in 2026/27 as a carer on Carer's Allowance or Carer Support Payment, or if your Carer's Allowance claim goes unpaid because another benefit already pays you more. A couple who both claim can both receive it.
The person being cared for faces the point already made: the severe disability amount needs nobody to be getting Carer's Allowance for looking after them. Carer's Allowance also counts as income when it is paid to a Pension Credit claimant. Which arrangement leaves a household better off depends on the real figures. Carer's Allowance has its own tests: at least 35 hours a week of caring, earnings no higher than £204 a week once tax, National Insurance and expenses are taken off, and a person cared for who receives a qualifying benefit such as the PIP daily living component. Our page on claiming Carer's Allowance with a pension takes that further.
PIP and Pension Credit rates for 2026/27
| Payment | Weekly amount, 2026/27 |
|---|---|
| PIP daily living, standard | £76.70 |
| PIP daily living, enhanced | £114.60 |
| Attendance Allowance, lower and higher | £76.70 and £114.60 |
| Pension Credit severe disability amount, single, or couple where one qualifies | £86.05 |
| Pension Credit severe disability amount, couple where both qualify | £172.10 |
| Pension Credit carer amount | £48.15 |
| Pension Credit standard minimum guarantee, single / couple | £238 / £363.25 |
These are the rates published in DWP's Benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027. They do not show what you would be awarded: PIP depends on an assessment, and the Pension Credit total depends on your whole position. Borderline on the household test? An adviser can weigh your set-up for nothing, and booking that call takes only the short form on this page.
More on PIP and Pension Credit
Can I get Pension Credit without getting PIP?
Yes. Pension Credit is decided on your income, and the disability amounts are additions for people who qualify for them. Having no PIP simply means no disability addition.
Do I have to tell the Pension Service when my PIP is awarded?
DWP tells claimants to contact the Pension Service helpline if their circumstances change, on 0800 99 1234, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. A new award is exactly the kind of change that could alter the amount, so it is worth ringing.
Does a standard daily living award count, or only the enhanced rate?
The regulations name the daily living component at the standard or enhanced rate, so either qualifies for the addition. For Disability Living Allowance the care component must be at the middle or highest rate.
Will Pension Credit help with council tax or rent?
It can. DWP lists Council Tax Reduction, Housing Benefit for renters and cold weather payments among the help that goes with Pension Credit. Read what else Pension Credit unlocks, or who gets Pension Credit if you are checking eligibility from the start.