'Sneaky' pension change could cost families £7,000 a year

Change to rules on ‘mixed age’ couples

Hannah Godfrey
clock • 1 min read

Changes to pension credit rules "sneaked out" by the government could cost families as much as £7,000 each year, according to former pensions minister Steve Webb.

An announcement by the government published late on Monday (14 January) evening revealed couples of different ages will face different rights to pension credits from 15 May 2019. From that point, so-called ‘mixed age' couples will be unable to claim pension credit until the youngest partner reaches state pension age. Under current rules, a ‘mixed age' couple can claim pension credit as long as one of them is over pension age. The subtle change to the rules means families currently claiming the benefit could be up to £7,000 worse off. This is because pension credit is far more generous...

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