Charities are urging the UK Government to change regulations affecting mixed age couples claiming Pension Credit. Independent Age and 12 other organizations have written to Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden, demanding the scrapping of the 'mixed age couples' rule for means-tested benefits administered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
Current Rule and Its Impact
The rule stipulates that couples can only claim benefits such as Pension Credit—worth an average of £4,300 per year—when both partners have reached State Pension age. Campaigners argue that this leaves some low-income households thousands of pounds worse off annually if one partner is younger than the other.
According to the charities, affected couples can miss out on support worth up to £7,000 each year because they are forced to claim Universal Credit instead of Pension Credit. Universal Credit is paid at a lower rate and is primarily designed for working-age households.
Growing Concerns as State Pension Age Rises
The organizations warn that the issue could become more severe as the State Pension age continues to rise from 66 to 67 between now and 2028. A phased increase began in April, making the problem more pressing.
New polling commissioned by Independent Age found that 62% of people believe couples should be able to access pension age entitlements once one partner reaches State Pension age.
Voices from the Campaign
Joanna Elson, chief executive of Independent Age, said: "Every day we hear from older people struggling to make ends meet, and for thousands of mixed age couples the system is making that struggle even harder. This rule is unfairly locking around 70,000 older people out of vital pension age support simply because their partner is younger. The financial support they are missing out on could be the difference between heating and eating or paying the rent."
The charities also warned that the current system assumes younger partners are financially able to support the household, which does not reflect reality for many families where someone may be unable to work due to ill health or caring responsibilities.
Jan Shortt, General Secretary of the National Pensioners Convention, said: "To treat people differently on the basis of who they fall in love with is nonsense. Mixed age couples are suffering financially because they cannot access the support they need. Decisions made by the government penalise mixed age couples and this must be addressed to enable them to be financially secure in the future."
Personal Story
Lynn, 62, from Eastbourne, shared her experience of struggling financially due to the rule. After initially being awarded Pension Credit, she and her husband David later discovered they were not eligible because they were considered a mixed age couple.
Lynn said: "We were told we could claim Pension Credit, but after seven months of receiving it we got a letter saying there had been a mistake and we weren't entitled to it because we are a mixed age couple. For the first time ever, we had to turn to a food bank to get by."
Call for Change
The charities are now calling on the UK Government to reverse the rule and allow couples to claim Pension Credit and other pension age benefits once the older partner reaches State Pension age. More information about the campaign is available on the Independent Age website.
