- Mixed-age couples may not qualify for pension credit.
- Couples must claim universal credit until both reach state pension age.
- The rule has been in place since May 2019.
Some people reaching state pension age in the UK may expect access to a wider range of Department for Work and Pensions support, including pension credit, attendance allowance and pension age disability payment. But for couples where one partner is younger, the rules can be more complicated.
Under current DWP rules, couples where one person has reached state pension age but the other has not are treated as mixed-age couples. In those situations, the older partner may not be able to claim pension-age benefits such as pension credit.
Instead, the couple is usually required to claim working-age benefits such as universal credit until both partners reach state pension age. This means a person who would normally qualify for pension credit on their own may still have to rely on universal credit because of their partner’s age.
According to Age UK, the pension-age partner in these cases is typically placed in a group with no work-related requirements, meaning they are not expected to search for work as part of their claim.
A policy change that altered benefit claims
The rules for mixed-age couples changed in May 2019. Before that point, couples could choose whether to claim pension-age benefits once one partner reached state pension age.
Since the reform, mixed-age couples can only claim universal credit until both partners reach the qualifying age for the state pension.
The policy has prompted questions about its wider impact. Green Party MP Siân Berry asked the government whether it had estimated how many people may fall into poverty because of the rule while waiting for the younger partner to reach state pension age.
While the Department for Work and Pensions did not provide a figure, Sir Stephen Timms responded to the question in Parliament.
He reportedly said the rule is intended to support younger partners in remaining connected to the labour market, as quoted in a news report.
He added that requiring mixed-age couples to claim universal credit allows the younger partner to access employment support available to working-age claimants, including programmes designed for people over the age of 50.
The pension-age partner, he said, is placed in the no-work related requirements group.
Pension age changes still ahead
Not all benefits are affected by the mixed-age rule. State pension payments themselves are based on an individual’s age and national insurance record, meaning a partner’s age does not affect eligibility.
The current state pension age in the UK is 66, although it is due to rise gradually in the coming years.
People born between April 6, 1960 and March 5, 1961 will see the state pension age increase step by step to 67.
Anyone born after these dates will have a state pension age of 67, while a further increase to 68 is expected to take effect from 2044.
For couples approaching retirement with an age gap, the rules mean benefit eligibility may depend not only on one partner’s age but on the age of both.
