Overview
- A 2019 Department for Work and Pensions rule stops mixed‑age couples from claiming Pension Credit until both partners reach state pension age, affecting about 60,000 low‑income households.
- Government figures show average losses of roughly £5,900 a year for those affected, with some couples missing out on up to £7,000.
- Independent Age is sending Valentine’s‑style cards to all 650 MPs urging a reversal of the policy and will rally outside Parliament on Wednesday, February 11, at 2pm.
- The charity warns the scheduled rise in the state pension age to 67 between April 2026 and April 2028 will extend waits for support and deepen hardship for mixed‑age couples.
- Personal accounts highlight perverse incentives and strain, with one couple saying they could be better off living apart and others noting Universal Credit is ill‑suited to older claimants and can be reduced pound‑for‑pound by state pension income.