Advice for the over 60s

The benefit rules have recently changed so that more people over 60 are entitled to Housing and/or Council Tax Benefit.

• Previously anyone with capital in excess of £16,000 could not be awarded Housing or Council Tax Benefit.

• Previously any capital you held in excess of £3,000 would be taken into account when calculating your benefit. For every £250 over this amount we would add £1 to your weekly income in our calculations.

These rules still apply for people under 60.   However they have now been changed to be more generous to people over 60 years of age.

• If you are over 60 years with capital over £16,000 but have a low income, you could still be entitled to Housing and\or Council Tax Benefit (but you must be in receipt of Guaranteed Pension Credit).

• If you are over 60 years you can have up to £6,000 in capital before it will affect any Housing or Council Tax Benefit award.

• If you have over £6,000 for every £500 over this amount we will add £1 to your weekly income when calculating your benefit.

Existing claims have been re assessed to take these new rules into account.

Pension Credits

Pension credits were introduced in October 2003. These are payments made by the Pension Service.

There are two types of pension credits:

Guaranteed Pension Credit: was introduced to top up people's income to a minimum amount and can be paid to people aged 60 and over.

Savings Credit: can be paid to people aged 65 and over as a reward for having modest savings and/or making provision for their retirement by paying into a pension.

To check if you could be entitled to pension credit please see The Pension Service website or telephone the Pension Service on 0800 99 1234 / textphone 0800 169 0133 (8am to 8pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 1pm Saturday).

If you are only granted Savings Credit you will not get maximum benefit from us.  However if your capital is less than £16,000 you may still be able to get help with your rent and/or Council Tax.

If you are granted Guaranteed Pension Credit you could automatically be passported to full Housing and/or Council Tax Benefit, subject to any rent restrictions and deductions for other adults living in your property.

To be sure that you get the benefit you are entitled to please apply directly to Woking Borough Council for your Housing and/or Council Tax Benefit.

Even if you have applied for, or are granted pension credits, you still need to ensure that you claim the Housing and Council Tax Benefit you are entitled to from Woking Borough Council. If you are in any doubt you should call the benefits section for advice.

If you are already in receipt of Housing and/or Council Tax Benefit and are then awarded pension credits tell us about this straight away, and provide your award notice from The Pension Service.