Should the Mixed-Age Couples Pension Credit Rule Be Abolished?

Numerous low-income couples across the UK are potentially being deprived of vital additional financial assistance through Pension Credit because of the government’s contentious mixed-age couples policy.

Implemented back in 2019, this mixed-age couples rule bars individuals who have reached state pension age from accessing Pension Credit if their partner is under the age of 66.

“The person you choose to love and share your later life with ought not to dictate the level of financial aid you receive. Regrettably, countless elderly couples are compelled to survive on minimal earnings solely due to this regulation. It’s high time the government overturns it,” a campaigner emphasized.

In a bid to spotlight their drive to eliminate the mixed-age rule—especially poignant around Valentine’s Day—Independent Age is dispatching Valentine’s cards to every one of the 650 Members of Parliament, pressing them to scrap the measure.

Background on the Mixed-Age Couples Rule

The Conservative government rolled out the mixed-age couples rule on May 15, 2019, with the goal of streamlining the Pension Credit system. The core rationale was that Pension Credit exists to offer sustained support to pensioner households that are no longer economically active owing to their age.

In the past, mixed-age couples—where one partner had attained state pension age while the other remained below it—had the option to apply for either working-age benefits or pension-age benefits if their income was low.

However, changes introduced via the Welfare Reform Act 2012 now stipulate that couples can only qualify for pension-age income-related benefits once both individuals have reached the required age threshold.

These modifications impact all those attempting to claim the benefit from May 15, 2019, onward, reshaping how financial support is allocated for such households.

Why Critics Deem the Mixed-Age Couples Rule Unjust

Opponents argue vehemently that the mixed-age couples rule is inherently unfair, as it forces low-income individuals to turn to Universal Credit, which provides substantially less support than Pension Credit.

Independent Age has drawn attention to official government statistics indicating that affected couples, on average, stand to lose approximately £5,900 annually, with certain cases suffering losses up to £7,000 per year.

Statistics from 2019 further reveal that 12% of couples potentially eligible for Pension Credit feature an age difference exceeding 10 years. This means the older partner might need to delay accessing pensioner benefits until their late 70s, exacerbating financial strain during critical years.

This policy is generating significant hardships for pensioners relying on modest incomes, undermining their ability to maintain a basic standard of living.

Independent Age recounted a poignant example of a 79-year-old caller who cannot claim Pension Credit because their spouse is just 59 years old. Due to the mixed-age couples rule, this individual must wait until age 87 to receive the much-needed support.

Campaign spokesperson Elson remarked: “The government has engineered a deeply flawed framework where two people of identical age receive vastly different treatment purely because one is partnered with someone younger.”

Another real-world illustration comes from Andy Cressey in Goole, Yorkshire. He shared: “My partner June, who is three years my junior, will face challenges when I hit retirement age at 67 in 2028—just over two years away. Based on my research, June would need to apply for Universal Credit, and my state pension would be deducted pound-for-pound from her entitlement. In essence, we’d both be surviving solely on my state pension income.

I’ve also discovered that if we resided separately, the local council would cover my full rent and council tax as a pensioner, while June could claim Universal Credit fully. Paradoxically, we’d be financially better off apart, which is absurd. Living together under these rules would be unaffordable. Why must I shoulder rent and council tax costs when cohabiting with my younger partner, who herself has scant income? The system is utterly nonsensical, to put it mildly.”

These personal accounts underscore the profound, everyday impacts of the rule, prompting widespread calls for reform to ensure equitable treatment for all low-income pensioner households, regardless of age differences between partners. Advocacy groups like Independent Age continue to push for policy reversal, highlighting how such measures disproportionately burden vulnerable older adults striving to make ends meet.