Cancer benefits if you are of pension age

There are benefits you can claim if you are of state pension age.

State Pension

The State Pension is paid by the government every week. The age you can get State Pension depends on when you were born.

There are two types of State Pension:

basic State Pension
new State Pension

Basic State Pension

You can get basic State Pension if you're:

a man born before 6 April 1951
a woman born before 6 April 1953

You must have made or been credited with National Insurance contributions to get the basic State Pension. A man needs:

30 qualifying years if you were born between 1945 and 1951
44 qualifying years if you were born before 1945

A woman needs:

30 qualifying years if you were born between 1950 and 1953
39 qualifying years if were born before 1950

A qualifying year means that in that year, one or more of the following applies:

you were working and paying National Insurance
you were receiving National Insurance Credits such as for unemployment, sickness or being a parent or carer
you were paying National Insurance contributions on a voluntary basis

You can get basic State Pension only once you have reached State Pension age.

If you're transgender

Your State Pension might be affected if you’re transgender and you:

were born between 24 December 1919 and 3 April 1945
have claimed State Pension before 4 April 2005
had gender reassignment surgery that took place before 4 April 2005 and you can provide evidence of the surgery

New State Pension

You qualify for the new State Pension if you're:

a man born on or after 6 April 1951
a woman born on or after 6 April 1953

You need a total of 10 qualifying years on your National Insurance record to get any new State Pension and 35 years to get the full amount. The 10 years don't have to be in a row and can be:

working and paying National Insurance
receiving National Insurance Credits such as for unemployment, sickness or if you're a parent or carer
paying National Insurance contributions on a voluntary basis

People who have lived or worked in another country might still get some new State Pension.

If you've made married women's or widow's reduced rate contributions you might also qualify.

Pension Credit

Pension Credit (PC) gives financial support to people of State Pension age and on a low income.

You may get more Pension credit if you have:

a disability
are a carer
are responsible for a child or young person

To get Pension Credit, you must:

live in England, Scotland or Wales
have reached State Pension age

The process is slightly different in Northern Ireland.

A couple can get Pension Credit if either:

you have both reached State Pension age
one of you gets Housing Benefit for people over State Pension age

Where to get advice

You can get help and advice on benefits from the following people:

a hospital or community social worker - they can give you advice on benefits and help you deal with debts
a welfare rights adviser at a hospital
Citizens Advice - their advisers can help with filling out benefit forms
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) provide its service through Jobcentre Plus offices. They deal with benefits for people who are unemployed or who can’t work because of a health condition or a disability

Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland, the Department for Communities deals with benefits and pensions. For Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) and Income Support in Northern Ireland, you need to contact your Jobs and Benefits office.

Macmillan Cancer Support

Macmillan Cancer Support provides support and guidance on how to deal with the financial impact of cancer.

You can contact their team of money advisers (Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm) on 0808 808 0000.