State pensioners handed £48.15 weekly extra on top of State Pension

State pensioners with additional care responsibilities can get an extra £48.15 per week with one claim to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The benefit was uplifted by 4.8% on April 6 for the 2026/27 tax year and is now worth around £4,300 per year on average, according to the DWP.

It is paid separately to the State Pension, so it effectively acts as a top-up to your regular payments, and it can be claimed even if you have other income, savings or own your own home. The April uplift means a standard Pension Credit payment is now worth up to £238 per week for single claimants, but the DWP will pay extra cash on top of this to support those who are caring for another adult.

State pensioners can get an extra £48.15 per week if they get either Carer’s Allowance (or Carer Support Payment in Scotland), or have claimed Carer’s Allowance but aren’t being paid because they’re getting another benefit at a higher amount. And in cases when a pensioner and their partner have both claimed or are getting Carer’s Allowance, the extra weekly amount doubles to £96.30.

The weekly amount for those caring for another adult has increased for the 2026/27 tax year, rising by 3.8% from £46.40 per week to £48.15 - a weekly increase of £1.75, or an extra £91 per year.

For those who qualify for the full rate, this amounts to £2,503.80 in additional payments from the DWP annually - on top of Pension Credit and the State Pension. And in cases where a pensioner and their partner both qualify for the payment - the amount is double.

Confirming the 3.8% rise to the Pension Credit additional amount for severe disabilities in November last year, Baroness Sherlock, Minister of State (Minister of Lords), said: "The Standard Minimum Guarantee in Pension Credit will increase by 4.8% in line with the increase in average earnings.

“From April, it will be £238.00 a week for a single pensioner and £363.25 a week for a couple, ensuring the incomes of the poorest pensioners are protected.

"Other State Pension and benefit rates covered by my statutory review will be increased by 3.8%, in line with the increase in the consumer prices index in the year to September 2025.

"This includes most working-age benefits and other benefits for people below State Pension age; benefits to help with additional needs arising from disability; Statutory Payments including Statutory Sick Pay and Statutory Maternity Pay; and Additional State Pension. The Pension Credit Savings Credit maximum amount will also increase by 3.8%."

Not only can pensioners get this extra amount if they care for another adult, but Pension Credit also opens the door to a wealth of other financial support.

This includes Housing Benefit, a Winter Fuel Payment worth up to £300, a Council Tax discount, a free TV licence if you’re aged 75 or over, £150 off winter energy bills through the Warm Home Discount Scheme, and help with NHS dental treatment, glasses and transport costs.

Explaining the Pension Credit extra amount for carers in guidance for advisers published in May 2026, the DWP said: “Your customer may be able to get this extra amount of £48.15 a week if:

• they (or their partner if they have one) are getting Carer’s Allowance, or in Scotland, Carer Support Payment

“If each partner satisfies either one of these conditions, the extra amount is doubled.

“When Carer’s Allowance or Carer Support Payment stops or underlying entitlement ceases, the Pension Credit extra amount for carers is paid for a further eight weeks. (If however Carer’s Allowance or Carer Support Payment has already continued for eight weeks after the person being cared for has died, the extra amount for carers will stop immediately). For customers in receipt of Carer Support Payment, this period is extended to 12 weeks following the death of a cared-for person.”