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staff-020: How does a citizen qualify for Pension Credit?

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source-c008: DMG Vol 13 Ch 77: Conditions of entitlement, membership of the household and normal amount payable — PDF page 14

Official source · Exact excerpt and hashes

Captured Pension Credit entitlement conditions; statutory and transitional dependencies remain.

77031 A claimant is entitled to SPC if they1


1. are in GB and


2. have reached the qualifying age and


3. satisfy the conditions to get a GC or SC and


4. are not a member of a


      4.1 couple where the other member is entitled to SPC or


      4.2 mixed-age couple (see DMG 77035 and 77140)


      4.3 polygamous marriage (see DMG 77016) where the other party to the marriage or the additional
      spouse are members of the same household and entitled to SPC (but see DMG 77140 et seq) and


5. have made a valid claim2 and


6. where relevant, their partner, satisfy the NI provisions (see DMG Chapter 02) 3.


           1 SPC Act 02, s 1(2) & 4(1) & (1A); SPC Regs, Sch III, para 1(3); 2 SS A Act 92, s 1(1) & (4); 3 s 1(1A)

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source-c009: DMG Vol 13 Ch 77: Conditions of entitlement, membership of the household and normal amount payable — PDF page 15

Official source · Exact excerpt and hashes

Age, GB presence and mixed-age-couple conditions with savings provisions and routes.

77035 For the purposes of entitlement to SPC, a mixed-age couple is one where one member has

reached the qualifying age and the other has not.1 This definition includes a polygamous marriage where
at least one party to the polygamous marriage has reached the qualifying age and at least one party has
not2.


Note 1: This definition applies only to new claims to SPC from 15.5.19. Savings provisions have effect as

though the exclusion of mixed-age couples from SPC had not come into force 2. So a member of a mixed-
age couple who was entitled to SPC or pension age HB or both on 14.5.19, continues to be so entitled on
or after 15.5.19. The savings provisions cease to have effect to a member of a mixed-age couple on or
after 15.5.19 when that person is no longer entitled to SPC or pension age HB as part of the same mixed-
age couple.


Note 2: Where one of a mixed age couple is a PSIC, SPC is paid to the claimant as a single person. 3
However, if entitlement to HB arose before 15.05.19, and that HB is in payment to them as a couple then,
once the partner is no longer a PSIC, they can be a couple for SPC.


Note 3: For detailed guidance on the treatment of mixed-age couples where a claimant who has reached
the SPC qualifying age would otherwise not be entitled to SPC or UC, see DMG 77140 et seq.

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source-c011: DMG Vol 13 Ch 77: Conditions of entitlement, membership of the household and normal amount payable — PDF page 26

Official source · Exact excerpt and hashes

Mixed-age-couple household rules explicitly reference DMG and ADM memos.

77140 (See ADM memo 05-24) (see DMG memo 04-24) For the purposes of whether members of a
couple are members of the same household, mixed-age, whether for a couple or a marriage, means

where one member has reached the qualifying age and the other member has not 1. This includes a
polygamous marriage where at least one party to the marriage has reached the SPC qualifying age and

at least one party has not2.


Note 1: This is a different definition of mixed-age couple from that for the purposes of entitlement to the
SPC savings credit which remains as it is (see DMG 77350).


Note 2: See DMG 77033 for the meaning of qualifying age.


                                                                      1 SPC Regs, reg 5(6)(b); 2 reg 5(6)(c)


Meaning of polygamous marriage
77141 A polygamous marriage is one


1. during which a party to the marriage is married to more than one person and


2. which took place under the laws of a country that permits polygamy 1.


                                                                                    1 SPC Regs, reg 5(6)(d)


77142 - 77149



Membership of the household

77150 Normally claimants are excluded from claiming SPC where they are a member of a mixed-age

couple1 – see DMG 77031 and 77035. See also DMG 77035 Note 1 for savings where the exclusion does

not apply. The guidance at DMG 77160 – 77184 applies where 2 a claimant who has reached the
qualifying age would otherwise not be entitled to SPC or UC because they are


1. excluded from SPC as a member of a mixed-age couple and

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source-c012: DMG Vol 13 Ch 77: Conditions of entitlement, membership of the household and normal amount payable — PDF page 33

Official source · Exact excerpt and hashes

Guarantee Credit and Savings Credit calculation inputs are distinct; no formula executable from this isolated page.

77303 If there are


1. any additions to the SMG, the total amount of GC will be the appropriate minimum guarantee (AMG)


2. no additions to the SMG, the SMG will be the AMG and the total amount of GC will be the amount of
the AMG


less any income relevant to the SPC income assessment. See DMG 77330 et seq for guidance on how to
work out the amount of GC payable.




Savings credit
77304 The amount of SC depends on1


1. the level of the claimant’s income and


2. the amount of the


      2.1 claimant’s qualifying income (QI) and


      2.2 savings credit threshold (SCT) and


      2.3 AMG and


      2.4 maximum savings credit (MSC).


See DMG 77353 et seq for guidance on how to work out the amount of SC payable.


                                                                                      1 SPC Act 02, s 3


77305 - 77329

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