There are a number of State benefits to which pensioners are entitled. These fall into four categories, and you can find out more about all these by visiting the DWP website. On this page we give a brief overview of some of the pension-related issues.

If you are coming up to retirement or have only recently retired, you will usually be sent an invitation to claim by the DWP when you are four months away from State Pension Age.

If you don't receive an invitation to claim, and you are four months or less away from State Pension Age, please call 0845 300 1084 (between 7 am and 7 pm).

If you have been retired for a while, you're probably already receiving the basic State Pension.

The amount of State Pension you receive depends on how many qualifying years you built up while you were working. (Qualifying years are the years in which you paid or were treated as paying National Insurance contributions.) In certain circumstances, you may have been credited with National Insurance contributions even if you were unable to do paid work.

You may also receive the additional State Pension. This is the earnings-related element of State Pension, paid on top of your basic State Pension. You may know this better as SERPS (the State-Earning Related Pension Scheme). SERPS was replaced by the State Second Pension (S2P) from April 2002. The amount you receive from this pension is based on your record of National Insurance contributions and your level of earnings when you were an employee.

Some typical benefits to which pensioners may be entitled:

• Pension and Pension Credit – State pension, second State pension, SERPS and the Pension Credit.
• Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit – local authority benefits that assist those on a low income.
• Special benefits depending on personal and other circumstances – such as Winter Fuel Payments, Community Care Grants, Budgeting loans, Crisis loans, Funeral and Bereavement Payments.
• Disability related benefits - Attendance Allowance, Carer’s Allowance, War Disablement Pensions, War Widows’ or Widowers’ Pensions.