State pensioners are due SEVEN freebies and perks worth a staggering £11,352 in the Cost of Living crisis. State pensioners who receive Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ) state pension payments have been told they can maximise their benefit.

The State Pension is a regular payment from thegovernment that most people can claim when they reach State Pension age. It’s based on your National Insurance (NI) contributions and credits.

State Pension age is currently 66 years old for both men and women but will gradually increase from 6 May 2026. Since April 2016, there have been 2 different systems: the old State Pension (sometimes called basic State Pension) and the new State Pension.

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Which one applies to you depends on whether you reached State Pension age before or after the new system was introduced.

Benefit boost - £5,644.60

If you're on certain benefits, you might be eligible for top-ups, or what's called a disability premium. You are eligible if you've reached state pension age and you have a physical disability (including sensory disability, for example blindness), a mental disability (including learning difficulties), or both, or your disability is severe enough for you to need help caring for yourself or someone to supervise you, for your own or someone else’s safety or you have needed that help for at least six months.

You must also be in Great Britain when you claim, have been in Great Britain for at least two of the last three years (this does not apply if you’re a refugee or have humanitarian protection status) and be habitually resident in the UK, Ireland, Isle of Man or the Channel Islands.

You must also not be subject to immigration control (unless you’re a sponsored immigrant) and not be receiving Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Adult Disability Payment (ADP).

Pension Credit - £3,900

Pension Credit comes in two parts. Here is how much the standard minimum guarantee is expected to rise by:

  • Single: £201.05 a week to £218.15 a week
  • Couple: £306.85 a week to £332.95 a week

Your income needs to be below these amounts to claim the standard minimum guarantee part of Pension Credit. In some cases, you might still be eligible if you have a higher income and you have a severe disability, you're a carer or you have to pay housing costs, such as a mortgage. If you reached State Pension age before April 6, 2016, or you have savings or a second pension, you may be eligible for the savings credit element of Pension Credit. Here is how much this part of Pension Credit should rise by from April:

  • Single: £15.94 a week to £17.01 a week
  • Couple: £17.84 a week to £19.04 a week

You might get additional payments if you’re a carer, severely disabled, or responsible for a child or young person. Pension Credit can be backdated by up to three months, as long as you were eligible during that timeframe. You can apply for Pension Credit online on the GOV.UK website, by calling 0800 99 1234, or by printing out and filling in a paper application form. Pension Credit is available if you are over the state pension age, and you live in England, Scotland or Wales.

National Insurance cut - £1,394.40

If you're employed, you stop paying Class 1 National Insurance when you reach State Pension age. If you're self-employed you stop paying Class 4 National Insurance from 6 April (start of the tax year) after you reach State Pension age.

On 6 February, chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced a 2p cut to National Insurance (NI) contributions for both employees and the self-employed. This was the second cut to NI in under six months and added to the rumours the government is considering abolishing the tax altogether.

The largest benefit paid from the UK’s National Insurance Fund is the state pension. Out of the £115.7bn in benefits paid from the fund in 2023, £110.2bn of this was made through state pension payments.

Free prescriptions - worth £119

Everyone aged over 60 gets free prescriptions. If you're under 60 you can save money on prescriptions by buying prescription prepayment certificates from the NHS for 3 or 12 months. This covers all your prescriptions for that period, regardless of how many you need.

If you’re 60 or over you're also entitled to a free NHS sight test, so you should let your optician know when you reach 60. Depending on your circumstances, you could also get help with:

  • NHS dental treatment
  • the cost of glasses or contact lenses
  • NHS wigs and fabric supports
  • travel costs to receive NHS treatment.

Free bus pass - £128

In England you can get a bus pass for free travel when you reach the State Pension age. The older person's bus pass is awarded when you reach the female State Pension age of 66. It does not matter if you’re a man or a woman.

The pass lets you travel for free during off-peak times:

  • between 9.30am and 11pm, Monday to Friday
  • all day at weekends and on public holidays

If you live in the West Midlands, you can use your pass on the buses from 9.30am until 11.59pm. You can also get free travel on:

  • trains in the Blue Zone from 9.30am to 11.59pm
  • trams from 9.30am until the last service of the day

If you want to travel before 9.30am, you can get a £1.50 single fare on National Express West Midlands buses. Show your travel pass to the driver and ask for a £1.50 single ticket.

Discounted rail fare - £142

The Senior Railcard is a Railcard specifically for senior citizens. It gives people aged 60 and over 1/3 off train fares throughout Great Britain. The Senior Railcard costs just £30 so after just a few trips, the card will have paid for itself (the equivalent of paying £2.50 a month, if you buy annually). Alternatively, you can get a 3-year Railcard for just £70, saving you £20 on the price of three 1-year Railcards.

And if you are 60 or over and live in a London borough, the 60+ Oyster card allows you to travel for free within London on Transport for London services and most National Rail services. Find out more about the 60+ Oyster photocard, including eligibility, benefits and how to apply.

Cold weather payment - £25

You'll get a payment if the average temperature where you live hits zero degrees or below over seven consecutive days. The payments are worth £25 per seven day period, and the cash is paid within 14 working days. You can receive multiple Cold Weather Payments if you get several periods of freezing weather.