Validation

Pension Credit estimator test scenarios

Every scenario our Pension Credit estimator is validated against — 27 fixed cases covering Guarantee Credit, capital deemed income, the Severe Disability Addition, the Carer Addition, and Savings Credit build-up and taper. Each expected value is computed to the penny from the published 2026/27 rates, and every scenario on this page re-runs live on every page render.

Savings Credit: edge cases we flag

Pre-6-April-2016 SPA gate. Savings Credit is closed to anyone who reached State Pension age after 6 April 2016. Our estimator returns £0 SC for post-reform claimants; this is tested explicitly.
Strictly-greater-than SC threshold. At exactly £208.07 (single) or £329.75 (couple), no Savings Credit is payable. At £208.08 one pence of SC applies — a rounding edge we test.
£17.96 / £20.10 cap. The build-up maxes out at £17.96 single / £20.10 couple. Above those levels of build-up income, SC stops growing.
40% taper-down above the GC threshold. Income above £238.00 single / £363.25 couple erodes the maximum at 40p/£1. We test both the partial-taper zone and the near-tapered-out zone (~£270 single).
Capital interaction. Deemed income from capital is added to assessed income *before* both GC and SC calculations, so capital can increase SC entitlement in the build-up zone while simultaneously reducing GC.

How these are sourced

Every scenario is a first-principles arithmetic check against the government-published 2026/27 Pension Credit rates. Rates source: gov.uk — benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027 (DWP).

Out of scope for this estimator: the full universe of capital types and their treatment (e.g. property disregards, notional capital arguments), the deprivation-of-capital rules, backdating, the transitional protection for mixed-age couples who had a pre-15 May 2019 claim, and Housing Benefit / Council Tax Reduction interactions. Scenarios that exercise those mechanics are out of scope here.

Guarantee Credit

The basic mechanics — £238.00 single / £363.25 couple thresholds and top-up.

6 scenarios

gc-single-zero-income

Single pensioner, no income, no capital

A single pensioner with no State Pension record and no other income.

What this tests: Guarantee Credit tops weekly income up to £238.00 for a single claimant.

Effective threshold: £238 / week
Assessed income: £0 / week
Guarantee Credit: £238 / week
Savings Credit: £0 / week
Total: £238 / week

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "partner": false,
  "weeklyStatePensionMinor": 0,
  "weeklyPrivatePensionMinor": 0,
  "weeklyEarningsMinor": 0,
  "weeklyOtherIncomeMinor": 0,
  "capitalMinor": 0
}

gc-single-200

Single pensioner, £200/week State Pension

Full-ish new State Pension, no other income.

What this tests: GC tops £200 up to £238.00 = £38.00/week.

Effective threshold: £238 / week
Assessed income: £200 / week
Guarantee Credit: £38 / week
Savings Credit: £0 / week
Total: £38 / week

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "partner": false,
  "weeklyStatePensionMinor": 20000,
  "weeklyPrivatePensionMinor": 0,
  "weeklyEarningsMinor": 0,
  "weeklyOtherIncomeMinor": 0,
  "capitalMinor": 0
}

gc-single-at-threshold

Single pensioner, income exactly £238.00

Income exactly at the Guarantee Credit threshold — no GC payable, but still valuable as a passport.

What this tests: At the threshold the GC drops to zero. Even £0.01 of GC triggers full passporting benefits, so this is the edge where passporting stops.

Effective threshold: £238 / week
Assessed income: £238 / week
Guarantee Credit: £0 / week
Savings Credit: £0 / week
Total: £0 / week

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "partner": false,
  "weeklyStatePensionMinor": 23800,
  "weeklyPrivatePensionMinor": 0,
  "weeklyEarningsMinor": 0,
  "weeklyOtherIncomeMinor": 0,
  "capitalMinor": 0
}

gc-single-above-threshold

Single pensioner, £300/week — no GC

Income well above the threshold — no Pension Credit payable.

What this tests: Income above the threshold takes the claimant out of GC entirely; post-2016 SPA means no SC either.

Effective threshold: £238 / week
Assessed income: £300 / week
Guarantee Credit: £0 / week
Savings Credit: £0 / week
Total: £0 / week

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "partner": false,
  "weeklyStatePensionMinor": 30000,
  "weeklyPrivatePensionMinor": 0,
  "weeklyEarningsMinor": 0,
  "weeklyOtherIncomeMinor": 0,
  "capitalMinor": 0
}

gc-couple-300

Couple, combined £300/week

A pensioner couple with £300/week combined income, no capital.

What this tests: Couple GC threshold is £363.25; GC = £63.25/week.

Effective threshold: £363.25 / week
Assessed income: £300 / week
Guarantee Credit: £63.25 / week
Savings Credit: £0 / week
Total: £63.25 / week

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "partner": true,
  "weeklyStatePensionMinor": 30000,
  "weeklyPrivatePensionMinor": 0,
  "weeklyEarningsMinor": 0,
  "weeklyOtherIncomeMinor": 0,
  "capitalMinor": 0
}

gc-couple-above-threshold

Couple, £350/week — above threshold

A couple with £350 combined income — just above the GC threshold.

What this tests: Income above the couple threshold eliminates GC.

Effective threshold: £363.25 / week
Assessed income: £350 / week
Guarantee Credit: £13.25 / week
Savings Credit: £0 / week
Total: £13.25 / week

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "partner": true,
  "weeklyStatePensionMinor": 35000,
  "weeklyPrivatePensionMinor": 0,
  "weeklyEarningsMinor": 0,
  "weeklyOtherIncomeMinor": 0,
  "capitalMinor": 0
}

Capital and deemed income

First £10,000 ignored; £1/week deemed per £500 band above. Unlike UC there is no upper capital limit.

4 scenarios

cap-exact-10000

Single pensioner, £10,000 capital — no deemed income

£10,000 capital is the lower limit — ignored in full.

What this tests: Capital up to and including £10,000 is disregarded.

Effective threshold: £238 / week
Assessed income: £220 / week
Guarantee Credit: £18 / week
Savings Credit: £0 / week
Total: £18 / week

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "partner": false,
  "weeklyStatePensionMinor": 22000,
  "weeklyPrivatePensionMinor": 0,
  "weeklyEarningsMinor": 0,
  "weeklyOtherIncomeMinor": 0,
  "capitalMinor": 1000000
}

cap-13000

Single pensioner, £13,000 capital

£3,000 excess = 6 bands of £500 each → £6/week deemed.

What this tests: £1/week deemed for every £500 (or part) of capital above £10,000.

Effective threshold: £238 / week
Assessed income: £226 / week
Guarantee Credit: £12 / week
Savings Credit: £0 / week
Total: £12 / week

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "partner": false,
  "weeklyStatePensionMinor": 22000,
  "weeklyPrivatePensionMinor": 0,
  "weeklyEarningsMinor": 0,
  "weeklyOtherIncomeMinor": 0,
  "capitalMinor": 1300000
}

cap-10001

Single pensioner, £10,001 capital — one band

A penny above £10,000 produces one full band of deemed income (£1/week).

What this tests: Rounding up: any part of a £500 band counts in full.

Effective threshold: £238 / week
Assessed income: £221 / week
Guarantee Credit: £17 / week
Savings Credit: £0 / week
Total: £17 / week

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "partner": false,
  "weeklyStatePensionMinor": 22000,
  "weeklyPrivatePensionMinor": 0,
  "weeklyEarningsMinor": 0,
  "weeklyOtherIncomeMinor": 0,
  "capitalMinor": 1000100
}

cap-15500

Single pensioner, £15,500 capital

£5,500 excess ÷ £500 = 11 bands = £11/week deemed.

What this tests: Unlike UC, Pension Credit has no £16,000 cliff edge — capital scales linearly.

Effective threshold: £238 / week
Assessed income: £226 / week
Guarantee Credit: £12 / week
Savings Credit: £0 / week
Total: £12 / week

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "partner": false,
  "weeklyStatePensionMinor": 21500,
  "weeklyPrivatePensionMinor": 0,
  "weeklyEarningsMinor": 0,
  "weeklyOtherIncomeMinor": 0,
  "capitalMinor": 1550000
}

Severe Disability Addition

Lifts the effective threshold by £86.05/week when you receive Attendance Allowance / enhanced-rate PIP daily-living, live alone, and no-one claims Carer's Allowance for you.

3 scenarios

sda-applies

Single pensioner, £200 income + SDA conditions met

Lives alone, on Attendance Allowance or enhanced-rate PIP daily living, no-one claims Carer's Allowance for them.

What this tests: SDA of £86.05/week lifts the effective threshold to £324.05. GC = £324.05 − £200 = £124.05.

Effective threshold: £324.05 / week
Assessed income: £200 / week
Guarantee Credit: £124.05 / week
Savings Credit: £0 / week
Total: £124.05 / week

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "partner": false,
  "weeklyStatePensionMinor": 20000,
  "weeklyPrivatePensionMinor": 0,
  "weeklyEarningsMinor": 0,
  "weeklyOtherIncomeMinor": 0,
  "capitalMinor": 0,
  "attendanceAllowanceOrPipDailyLiving": true,
  "livesAlone": true
}

sda-blocked-by-ca

SDA blocked when Carer's Allowance is paid for the claimant

Same facts as above but a carer claims Carer's Allowance for looking after them — SDA is lost.

What this tests: SDA requires that no-one is paid Carer's Allowance for the disabled person. The addition is lost when a carer claims.

Effective threshold: £238 / week
Assessed income: £200 / week
Guarantee Credit: £38 / week
Savings Credit: £0 / week
Total: £38 / week

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "partner": false,
  "weeklyStatePensionMinor": 20000,
  "weeklyPrivatePensionMinor": 0,
  "weeklyEarningsMinor": 0,
  "weeklyOtherIncomeMinor": 0,
  "capitalMinor": 0,
  "attendanceAllowanceOrPipDailyLiving": true,
  "livesAlone": true,
  "carersAllowanceReceivedForYou": true
}

sda-blocked-not-alone

SDA blocked when the claimant does not live alone

A disabled pensioner on AA who lives with an adult relative — SDA condition fails.

What this tests: Lives-alone is a necessary SDA precondition. Many SDA losses are invisible to the claimant at the time.

Effective threshold: £238 / week
Assessed income: £200 / week
Guarantee Credit: £38 / week
Savings Credit: £0 / week
Total: £38 / week

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "partner": false,
  "weeklyStatePensionMinor": 20000,
  "weeklyPrivatePensionMinor": 0,
  "weeklyEarningsMinor": 0,
  "weeklyOtherIncomeMinor": 0,
  "capitalMinor": 0,
  "attendanceAllowanceOrPipDailyLiving": true,
  "livesAlone": false
}

Carer Addition

Lifts the effective threshold by £48.15/week when you care 35+ hours a week for someone on a qualifying disability benefit. Stacks with the SDA when both apply.

2 scenarios

carer-single

Single pensioner caring for someone on a qualifying disability benefit

A pensioner caring 35+ hours a week for a disabled relative; £220/week State Pension.

What this tests: Carer Addition of £48.15/week raises the effective threshold; GC = £286.15 − £220 = £66.15.

Effective threshold: £286.15 / week
Assessed income: £220 / week
Guarantee Credit: £66.15 / week
Savings Credit: £0 / week
Total: £66.15 / week

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "partner": false,
  "weeklyStatePensionMinor": 22000,
  "weeklyPrivatePensionMinor": 0,
  "weeklyEarningsMinor": 0,
  "weeklyOtherIncomeMinor": 0,
  "capitalMinor": 0,
  "isCarerForSomeoneOnQualifyingDisability": true
}

carer-plus-sda

Disabled carer — SDA + Carer Addition stack

A disabled pensioner on AA who also cares for a disabled spouse (on AA too). Lives alone technically not applicable — skipping SDA here. Uses carer addition only.

What this tests: Carer addition stacks with SDA when both apply to the same person. Here SDA is excluded (does not live alone), but Carer Addition still applies.

Effective threshold: £286.15 / week
Assessed income: £220 / week
Guarantee Credit: £66.15 / week
Savings Credit: £0 / week
Total: £66.15 / week

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "partner": false,
  "weeklyStatePensionMinor": 22000,
  "weeklyPrivatePensionMinor": 0,
  "weeklyEarningsMinor": 0,
  "weeklyOtherIncomeMinor": 0,
  "capitalMinor": 0,
  "attendanceAllowanceOrPipDailyLiving": true,
  "livesAlone": false,
  "isCarerForSomeoneOnQualifyingDisability": true
}

Savings Credit (pre-6-April-2016 SPA only)

Reward for modest savings/pensions, closed to new claimants after 6 April 2016. Builds up at 60p/£1 above £208.07 single / £329.75 couple, caps at £17.96 / £20.10, and tapers down at 40p/£1 above the Guarantee Credit threshold.

10 scenarios

sc-post-2016-excluded

Post-6-April-2016 SPA — no Savings Credit

Single pensioner who reached State Pension age after 6 April 2016 — Savings Credit is not available.

What this tests: Savings Credit was closed to new claimants from 6 April 2016.

Effective threshold: £238 / week
Assessed income: £210 / week
Guarantee Credit: £28 / week
Savings Credit: £0 / week
Total: £28 / week

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "partner": false,
  "reachedStatePensionAgeBefore6April2016": false,
  "weeklyStatePensionMinor": 21000,
  "weeklyPrivatePensionMinor": 0,
  "weeklyEarningsMinor": 0,
  "weeklyOtherIncomeMinor": 0,
  "capitalMinor": 0
}

sc-below-threshold

Pre-2016, income below the Savings Credit threshold

£180/week income is below the SC threshold (£208.07) — SC does not apply.

What this tests: Savings Credit pays 60p per £1 of income *above* £208.07 single / £329.75 couple.

Effective threshold: £238 / week
Assessed income: £180 / week
Guarantee Credit: £58 / week
Savings Credit: £0 / week
Total: £58 / week

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "partner": false,
  "reachedStatePensionAgeBefore6April2016": true,
  "weeklyStatePensionMinor": 18000,
  "weeklyPrivatePensionMinor": 0,
  "weeklyEarningsMinor": 0,
  "weeklyOtherIncomeMinor": 0,
  "capitalMinor": 0
}

sc-in-build-up

Pre-2016, income £215 — SC in build-up

£215 is above the SC threshold but below the GC threshold — SC in the build-up zone.

What this tests: SC = 60% × (income − SC threshold), capped at the maximum. Here 0.6 × (215 − 208.07) = £4.16.

Effective threshold: £238 / week
Assessed income: £215 / week
Guarantee Credit: £23 / week
Savings Credit: £4.16 / week
Total: £27.16 / week

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "partner": false,
  "reachedStatePensionAgeBefore6April2016": true,
  "weeklyStatePensionMinor": 21500,
  "weeklyPrivatePensionMinor": 0,
  "weeklyEarningsMinor": 0,
  "weeklyOtherIncomeMinor": 0,
  "capitalMinor": 0
}

sc-capped-max

Pre-2016, income £238 — SC at maximum

£238 income is at the GC threshold and the Savings Credit build-up reaches the £17.96 cap.

What this tests: SC = min(60% × (238 − 208.07), £17.96) = £17.96.

Effective threshold: £238 / week
Assessed income: £238 / week
Guarantee Credit: £0 / week
Savings Credit: £17.96 / week
Total: £17.96 / week

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "partner": false,
  "reachedStatePensionAgeBefore6April2016": true,
  "weeklyStatePensionMinor": 23800,
  "weeklyPrivatePensionMinor": 0,
  "weeklyEarningsMinor": 0,
  "weeklyOtherIncomeMinor": 0,
  "capitalMinor": 0
}

sc-over-gc-threshold

Pre-2016, income £250 — SC tapers down above GC threshold

Income above GC threshold triggers the 40% taper-down on the SC maximum.

What this tests: Above £238.00 single, SC loses 40p per £1. SC maximum £17.96 − 40% × (250 − 238) = £17.96 − £4.80 = £13.16.

Effective threshold: £238 / week
Assessed income: £250 / week
Guarantee Credit: £0 / week
Savings Credit: £13.16 / week
Total: £13.16 / week

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "partner": false,
  "reachedStatePensionAgeBefore6April2016": true,
  "weeklyStatePensionMinor": 25000,
  "weeklyPrivatePensionMinor": 0,
  "weeklyEarningsMinor": 0,
  "weeklyOtherIncomeMinor": 0,
  "capitalMinor": 0
}

sc-tapered-hard

Pre-2016, income £270 — SC heavily tapered

Income £32 above GC threshold — the 40% taper has eroded most of the maximum.

What this tests: SC = max(0, 17.96 − 40% × 32) = max(0, 17.96 − 12.80) = £5.16.

Effective threshold: £238 / week
Assessed income: £270 / week
Guarantee Credit: £0 / week
Savings Credit: £5.16 / week
Total: £5.16 / week

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "partner": false,
  "reachedStatePensionAgeBefore6April2016": true,
  "weeklyStatePensionMinor": 27000,
  "weeklyPrivatePensionMinor": 0,
  "weeklyEarningsMinor": 0,
  "weeklyOtherIncomeMinor": 0,
  "capitalMinor": 0
}

sc-almost-tapered-out

Pre-2016, income £282 — SC almost fully tapered

At £282/week only £0.36/week of SC survives the 40% taper.

What this tests: Taper-down = 40% × (282 − 238) = £17.60. SC = max(0, £17.96 − £17.60) = £0.36.

Effective threshold: £238 / week
Assessed income: £282 / week
Guarantee Credit: £0 / week
Savings Credit: £0.36 / week
Total: £0.36 / week

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "partner": false,
  "reachedStatePensionAgeBefore6April2016": true,
  "weeklyStatePensionMinor": 28200,
  "weeklyPrivatePensionMinor": 0,
  "weeklyEarningsMinor": 0,
  "weeklyOtherIncomeMinor": 0,
  "capitalMinor": 0
}

sc-couple-build-up

Couple, pre-2016, £350/week — SC in build-up

Couple income £350/week, above the £329.75 couple SC threshold but below the £363.25 GC threshold.

What this tests: SC = 60% × (350 − 329.75) = £12.15. Below the £20.10 couple maximum.

Effective threshold: £363.25 / week
Assessed income: £350 / week
Guarantee Credit: £13.25 / week
Savings Credit: £12.15 / week
Total: £25.40 / week

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "partner": true,
  "reachedStatePensionAgeBefore6April2016": true,
  "weeklyStatePensionMinor": 35000,
  "weeklyPrivatePensionMinor": 0,
  "weeklyEarningsMinor": 0,
  "weeklyOtherIncomeMinor": 0,
  "capitalMinor": 0
}

sc-at-sc-threshold

Pre-2016, income exactly £208.07 — SC just not yet payable

Income exactly at the SC threshold produces no SC.

What this tests: SC mechanics require income to be strictly greater than the SC threshold — equal is not enough.

Effective threshold: £238 / week
Assessed income: £208.07 / week
Guarantee Credit: £29.93 / week
Savings Credit: £0 / week
Total: £29.93 / week

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "partner": false,
  "reachedStatePensionAgeBefore6April2016": true,
  "weeklyStatePensionMinor": 20807,
  "weeklyPrivatePensionMinor": 0,
  "weeklyEarningsMinor": 0,
  "weeklyOtherIncomeMinor": 0,
  "capitalMinor": 0
}

sc-one-penny-above

Pre-2016, income £192.72 — SC = £0.01 (edge case)

One penny above the SC threshold triggers a £0.01 Savings Credit. Rounding edge.

What this tests: SC = round(0.01 × 0.6) = round(0.006) = 1 pence in the minor-unit calculation (0.6 × 1p).

Effective threshold: £238 / week
Assessed income: £192.72 / week
Guarantee Credit: £45.28 / week
Savings Credit: £0 / week
Total: £45.28 / week

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "partner": false,
  "reachedStatePensionAgeBefore6April2016": true,
  "weeklyStatePensionMinor": 19272,
  "weeklyPrivatePensionMinor": 0,
  "weeklyEarningsMinor": 0,
  "weeklyOtherIncomeMinor": 0,
  "capitalMinor": 0
}

Combined real-world scenarios

Multi-element stacks — SDA + capital + Savings Credit, couples with both GC and SC.

2 scenarios

combined-sda-sc-capital

Pre-2016 single, £200 income, AA + lives alone, £12,000 capital

Disabled pensioner living alone, with modest capital — SDA raises the threshold, deemed income adds to assessed income, and SC build-up still applies.

What this tests: SDA threshold + deemed income from capital + Savings Credit build-up all in one calculation.

Effective threshold: £324.05 / week
Assessed income: £204 / week
Guarantee Credit: £120.05 / week
Savings Credit: £0 / week
Total: £120.05 / week

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "partner": false,
  "reachedStatePensionAgeBefore6April2016": true,
  "weeklyStatePensionMinor": 20000,
  "weeklyPrivatePensionMinor": 0,
  "weeklyEarningsMinor": 0,
  "weeklyOtherIncomeMinor": 0,
  "capitalMinor": 1200000,
  "attendanceAllowanceOrPipDailyLiving": true,
  "livesAlone": true
}

combined-couple-sc-gc

Couple, pre-2016, £340/week — SC + GC combined

Couple with some savings but income below GC threshold — receive both GC and SC.

What this tests: GC = 363.25 − 340 = £23.25; SC = 60% × (340 − 329.75) = £6.15; total = £29.40.

Effective threshold: £363.25 / week
Assessed income: £340 / week
Guarantee Credit: £23.25 / week
Savings Credit: £6.15 / week
Total: £29.40 / week

Scenario inputs (JSON)

{
  "partner": true,
  "reachedStatePensionAgeBefore6April2016": true,
  "weeklyStatePensionMinor": 34000,
  "weeklyPrivatePensionMinor": 0,
  "weeklyEarningsMinor": 0,
  "weeklyOtherIncomeMinor": 0,
  "capitalMinor": 0
}