Pension Credit usually stops or drops because income, savings, a partner, time abroad or a hospital stay changed. You can challenge the decision.
If you are working out why Pension Credit stopped, start with the decision letter: DWP tells you its decision in writing, with a summary of how the award was worked out. The causes below cover most cases. Whether a pension pot, savings or the State Pension need rethinking after losing the top-up is a separate question from the decision itself, and an FCA-authorised adviser, reachable by the form on this page, rings back free of charge. For the decision itself, go to DWP, or to Citizens Advice or Age UK for free help (see free Pension Credit advice). This page covers England, Scotland and Wales.
Why has my Pension Credit gone down or stopped?
Nearly always because something DWP counts has changed, or DWP learned of a change. GOV.UK warns that a claim "might be stopped or reduced if you do not report a change straight away". The usual causes are:
- Money coming in or held. A new pension, a pension lump sum, a new benefit, work or savings above the threshold.
- Your partner. Someone moving in (above all a partner under State Pension age), one of you starting Universal Credit, or a separation.
- Time outside Great Britain that ran past the allowed period.
- Hospital or a care home, which can remove extra amounts or change who counts as a couple.
- A change nobody reported, which can come to light later.
The letter should show which of these applies. If you are only wondering whether you qualify at all, who gets Pension Credit sets out the tests.
Did my income or savings go over the limit?
If your income rose, the top-up shrinks or disappears. For 2026/27 GOV.UK sets the floor at £238 a week for one person and £363.25 for a couple, and the award is whatever lifts counted income to that floor, so extra income cuts it pound for pound.
Income includes a pension you are entitled to but have not claimed, and deferred State Pension. Higher income is not always the end: GOV.UK says you might still be eligible with a disability, caring responsibilities, savings or housing costs. What counts as income has the detail.
Savings work differently. Up to £10,000 is ignored; above that, GOV.UK says, each £500 is counted as £1 of weekly income. DWP’s adviser guide adds that lump sums taken from a pension pot count as capital, and so does a whole-pot withdrawal if it takes you over £10,000. DWP must also be told when capital passes £10,000. How savings change the amount covers the savings rules in full.
Money spent or given away can fall under the deprivation of capital rules, which can leave you treated as still holding it; deprivation of capital explains them.
Can a change of partner stop Pension Credit?
Yes. A couple’s income is counted together, and some changes in who you live with end an award outright.
GOV.UK states the rule on a younger partner plainly: "You will stop getting Pension Credit if you start living with a partner who is under State Pension age." You can start getting it again when that partner reaches State Pension age. The rule has applied since 15 May 2019; people already getting Pension Credit as a couple before then keep it only while they stay eligible as that couple, and DWP says a break for any length of time ends the protection. If one of you starts getting Universal Credit, you stop being eligible for Pension Credit.
A partner who is temporarily away, such as caring for a relative, usually still counts as part of the couple. DWP’s guide says you are treated as single if the absence is likely to pass 52 weeks, or has, or if one of you goes permanently into a care home. Each partner may then need their own claim. The partner rules in our eligibility guide cover joint claims, and reporting a change of circumstances covers how to tell DWP.
When a partner change ends or cuts an award, the household’s other money then needs another look; this page’s enquiry form lines up a no-charge phone call-back by an FCA-authorised adviser, who is separate from DWP.
Does going abroad stop Pension Credit?
It can, once you are away longer than the rules allow. GOV.UK says you can keep getting Pension Credit if you are away from Great Britain for 4 weeks or less, for example on holiday, provided you stay eligible and tell the Pension Service helpline you are going.
Longer periods are allowed only in set cases, according to DWP’s adviser guide:
- up to 26 weeks where the trip is solely for medical treatment or medically approved convalescence or care;
- up to 8 weeks where it is linked to the death of a partner, child or close relative, and it would be unreasonable to expect the absence to be 4 weeks or less.
Beyond that, the award ends and you must apply again on your return. The guide's own example is a couple who took a five-week holiday, lost Pension Credit and pension-age Housing Benefit, and could not claim again until the younger partner reached State Pension age. For longer stays, see Pension Credit abroad rules.
What happens to Pension Credit in hospital or a care home?
A hospital stay alone often changes nothing for a while. DWP’s guide says a single person’s Pension Credit normally stays the same in hospital, unless it includes an extra amount for severe disability or carers, or they stop being treated as responsible for housing costs.
For a single person, the drop comes from the extra amounts: the severe disability amount stops when the qualifying disability benefit stops, usually after four weeks in hospital, and the carers amount stops eight weeks after Carer’s Allowance or Carer Support Payment ends. If one half of a couple is in hospital, the award normally stays the same for 52 weeks, though a severe disability amount at the higher rate drops to the lower rate when the disability benefit stops; after that you are usually treated as two single people unless a return home is expected soon. Pension Credit in hospital has more.
Care homes differ. A temporary stay (respite care) normally leaves Pension Credit as if you were at home. For someone living permanently in a care home with a partner who does not live there, the two are assessed separately as single people, and a former home can count as capital unless a partner or qualifying close relative lives there or it is being sold. GOV.UK lists going into hospital or a care home as a change to report.
Reviews, bank checks and changes you did not report
GOV.UK says banks and other financial institutions can share information about you with DWP, such as accounts you hold, how much money you have, and transactions abroad, to help identify whether your eligibility has changed. A reduction can therefore follow a change you forgot to mention. Claimants agree to report changes promptly, and GOV.UK says wrong information or an unreported change can lead to court or a penalty.
If you want to know how often DWP looks again at an award, or what a review letter is asking for, an adviser will talk you through it free after you submit the form here.
One older rule may explain a sudden drop. People who were 75 or over when an assessed income period was set before 6 April 2016 did not have to report pension, savings or investment changes. The period ends when household circumstances change, such as a move into a care home or becoming a couple, and you then get a letter and must report everything. DWP says a lower award after that is not itself an overpayment for the time the period applied.
What should I do if I disagree with the decision?
Keep a note of the dates, because most deadlines are one month.
- Ask for the reasons in writing. DWP’s guide says the decision maker will give the reasons in writing if you ask within one month, by phone or letter, using the details on your decision letter.
- Ask for mandatory reconsideration. This is the compulsory first step before an appeal. It is free, and you can ask if you think there was an error, missed evidence, or you disagree with the reasons. You normally need to ask within one month of the date on the decision letter. GOV.UK allows a later request with a good reason, such as being in hospital or bereaved. DWP says you can do it by phone or in writing, giving your reasons.
- Appeal to the tribunal. After the reconsideration notice arrives, you have one month to appeal to HM Courts and Tribunals Service, using form SSCS1 and a copy of the notice. A late appeal needs an explanation and may not be accepted. It is free, and the tribunal is independent.
A tribunal can increase the award, decrease it or confirm the decision, and cannot go beyond what the law allows. GOV.UK names Citizens Advice, Advicenow and Advicelocal as free sources of advice on challenging a decision. If the decision was right and your circumstances later change, you can make a fresh claim; applying for Pension Credit covers how, and backdating covers how far back it can go.
What if I have been overpaid Pension Credit?
GOV.UK says you may have to repay if you did not report a change straight away, gave wrong information, or were overpaid by mistake. You can dispute that there was an overpayment, its amount, or whether you must repay it.
DWP’s guide lists the ways of repaying: a lump sum, weekly deductions from Pension Credit, or deductions from most social security benefits. If you no longer get a benefit and cannot pay at once, DWP normally asks for instalments. Pension Credit overpayments goes through recovery in more detail.
Questions people ask when Pension Credit stops
Can Pension Credit stop without notice?
DWP’s guide says you are told of each decision in writing, with a summary of how your award was worked out. If a stop or cut has reached your bank account before any letter reaches you, ring the Pension Service on the number GOV.UK gives for changes, 0800 731 0469, and ask for the decision and its reasons in writing.
Is Pension Credit going up?
The rates normally change each April, DWP’s guide says. The standard minimum guarantee for 2026/27 is £238 a week for a single person, up from £227.10, and £363.25 for a couple, up from £346.60, according to DWP’s rates table. How much Pension Credit shows how an award is built up.
Can I claim again after it stops?
Often yes, if your circumstances now meet the rules. Pension Credit can start from a date up to three months before you apply, if you were entitled then. The mixed-age couple rule above is the main exception.
Can I ask for a reconsideration in writing rather than by phone?
Yes. DWP’s guide says you can apply by telephone or in writing, giving your reasons, and the decision letter gives the contact details.
Does other help stop when Pension Credit does?
GOV.UK lists Housing Benefit, Cold Weather Payments, Council Tax Reduction and a free TV licence for over-75s among the help linked to getting Pension Credit. Whether each continues depends on that scheme’s own rules, so ask whoever pays it.
If Pension Credit has stopped and a pension pot, savings or the State Pension are still to be weighed, begin with the State Pension guide, then use this page’s form to request a talk, free, with an FCA-authorised adviser.