Welfare Rights
Welfare Reform Changes
2010
April 2010
State Pension Age - this will gradually increase for both men and women from 6 April
2010. Please refer to the following details for an indication of when your Pension
will be due.
|
Women
|
State Pension Age
|
|
Date of Birth
|
Pension Date
|
Min
|
Max
|
|
6/11/50 to 5/12/50
|
06/07/2011
|
60yrs 7m
|
60yrs 8m
|
|
6/12/50 to 5/1/50
|
06/09/2011
|
60 yrs 8m
|
60yrs 9m
|
|
6/1/51 to 5/2/51
|
06/11/2011
|
60yrs 9m
|
60yrs 10m
|
|
6/2/51 to 5/3/51
|
06/01/2012
|
60yrs 10m
|
60yrs 11m
|
|
6/3/51 to 5/4/51
|
06/03/2012
|
60yrs 11m
|
61yrs
|
|
6/4/51 to 5/5/51
|
06/05/2012
|
61yrs
|
61 yrs 1 m
|
|
6/5/51 to 5/6/51
|
06/07/2012
|
61yrs 1m
|
61yrs 2m
|
|
6/6/51 to 5/7/51
|
06/09/2012
|
61yrs 2m
|
61yrs 3m
|
|
6/7/51 to 5/8/51
|
06/11/2012
|
61yrs 3m
|
61yrs 4m
|
|
6/8/51 to 5/9/51
|
06/01/2013
|
61yrs 4m
|
61yrs 5m
|
|
6/9/51 to 5/10/51
|
06/03/2013
|
61yrs 5m
|
61yrs 6m
|
|
6/10/51 to 5/11/51
|
06/05/2013
|
61yrs 6m
|
61yrs 7m
|
|
6/11/51 to 5/12/51
|
06/07/2013
|
61yrs 7m
|
61yrs 8m
|
|
6/12/51 to 5/1/52
|
06/09/2013
|
61yrs 8m
|
61yrs 9m
|
|
6/1/52 to 5/2/52
|
06/11/2013
|
61yrs 9m
|
61yrs 10m
|
|
6/2/52 to 5/3/52
|
06/01/2014
|
61yrs 10m
|
61yrs 11m
|
|
6/3/52 to 5/4/52
|
06/03/2014
|
61yrs 11m
|
62yrs
|
|
6/4/52 to 5/5/52
|
06/05/2014
|
62yrs
|
62yrs 1m
|
|
6/5/52 to 5/6/52
|
06/07/2014
|
62yrs 1m
|
62yrs 2m
|
|
6/6/52 to 5/7/52
|
06/09/2014
|
62yrs 2m
|
62yrs 3m
|
|
6/7/52 to 5/8/52
|
06/11/2014
|
62yrs 3m
|
62yrs 4m
|
|
6/8/52 to 5/9/52
|
06/01/2015
|
62yrs 4m
|
62yrs 5m
|
|
6/9/52 to 5/10/52
|
06/03/2015
|
62yrs 5m
|
62yrs 6m
|
|
6/10/52 to 5/11/52
|
06/05/2015
|
62yrs 6m
|
62yrs 7m
|
|
6/11/52 to 5/12/52
|
06/07/2015
|
62yrs 7m
|
62yrs 8m
|
|
6/12/52 to 5/1/53
|
06/09/2015
|
62yrs 8m
|
62yrs 9m
|
|
6/1/53 to 5/2/53
|
06/11/2015
|
62yrs 9m
|
62yrs 10m
|
|
6/2/53 to 5/3/53
|
06/01/2016
|
62yrs 10m
|
62yrs 11m
|
|
6/m/53 to 5/4/53
|
06-Mar
|
62yrs 11m
|
63yrs
|
|
6/4/53 to 5/5/53
|
06/07/2016
|
63yrs 2m
|
63yrs 3m
|
|
6/5/53 to 5/6/53
|
06/11/2016
|
63yrs 5m
|
63yrs 6m
|
|
6/6/53 to 5/7/53
|
06/03/2017
|
63yrs 8m
|
63yrs 9m
|
|
6/7/53 to 5/8/53
|
06/07/2017
|
63yrs 11m
|
64yrs
|
|
6/8/53 to 5/9/53
|
06/11/2017
|
64yrs 2m
|
64yrs 3m
|
|
6/9/53 to 5/10/53
|
06/03/2018
|
64yrs 5m
|
64yrs 6m
|
|
6/10/53 to 5/11/53
|
06/07/2018
|
64yrs 8m
|
64yrs 9m
|
|
6/11/53 to 5/12/53
|
06/11/2018
|
64yrs 11mn
|
65yrs
|
|
Men and Women
|
State Pension Date
|
|
Date of Birth
|
Pension Date
|
Min
|
Max
|
|
6/12/53 to 5/1/54
|
06/03/2019
|
65yrs 2m
|
65yrs 3m
|
|
6/1/54 to 5/2/54
|
06/07/2019
|
65yrs 5m
|
65yrs 6m
|
|
6/2/54 to 5/3/54
|
06/11/2019
|
65yrs 8m
|
65yrs 9m
|
|
6/3/54 to 5/4/54
|
06/03/2020
|
65yrs 11m
|
66yrs
|
|
6/4/54 onwards
|
66th birthday
|
66yrs
|
66yrs
|
These changes will have an effect on other benefits for older people:
- Pension credit: the age to apply for this will increase from age 60 years to 65
years in line with State Retirement Pension.
- Working age benefits such as Income Support; Jobseekers Allowance or Employment
Support Allowance will be available to women until they reach age 65 years.
- Winter fuel payments: the minimum age limit will also make a gradual increase from
60 years until 65 years.
Related changes:
- Only 30 years of National Insurance Credits are now required to qualify for full
Retirement Pension.
- Home responsibility protection has been replaced by weekly credits to help parents
and carers of severely disabled children. N.B National insurance credits will be
awarded for periods that were covered by Home Responsibility Protection before 2010.
- Adult dependency increases will end for new Pension claims.
- Concessionary travel: age limits will also increase gradually between age 60 to
65 years.
- There will be further increases in state pension age: exact details are not known
yet.
Key areas from 2011
January 2011- Health in pregnancy grant abolished.
February 2011- when sick only Employment and Support Allowance can be claimed. No new claims to
Incapacity Benefit Accepted.
April 2011
- Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit changes; basic and 30 hour elements frozen for 3 years, childcare
element of WTC reduced from 80% to 70% of actual costs up to a capped figure, income threshold for family element
of child tax credit reduced to £40 000 per year, taper changed to 41%, baby element scrapped and disregarded change
in income reduced to £10 000.
- Child benefit- frozen for 3 years.
- Maternity grant- restricted to first child only.
- Pension credit- savings credit maximum amount frozen for next 3 years.
- 'Working age benefits'- increases now set by the consumer price index.
- Housing benefit- non-dependent deductions to be increased over a 3 year period and Local Housing Allowance
rates to be capped. (5 bed rates to be scrapped)
December 2011 Lone parents cannot claim Income Support once the youngest child reaches age 5
Key areas from 2012
- Employment Support Allowance in Youth- to be abolished from April 2012.
- Tougher penalties for fraud; including the introduction of civil penalties at £50 for people incorrectly
completing claim forms.
- Data sharing between benefit departments and welfare services will be extended.
Key areas from 2013
- 'Universal Credit will replace a range of existing means-tested benefits and tax credits for people of working
age, starting from 2013
- Disability Living Allowance will be replaced with Personal Independence Payment
- Housing Benefit for social housing tenants will be restricted when accommodation is larger than they need
- Local Housing Allowance rates will increase in line with the Consumer Price Index
- Housing benefit will reduce to 90% after 12 months on Jobseekers Allowance
- A statutory child maintenance scheme will be introduced
- Contributory Employment and Support Allowance will be restricted to a 12-month period
- The total amount of benefit that can be claimed will be capped
- A new Single Fraud Investigation Service will be launched from April 2013
- Child Benefit will be withdrawn from higher income families
- Cold weather payments will be increased to £25 per week