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If you haven’t yet reached State Pension age, and you’re retired or have been made redundant and you’re struggling financially, you may be wondering what help is available.
There are several benefits you may be able to claim in your 50s and some have an upper age limit based on State Pension age. If you’re part of a couple, it’s usually the age of the oldest person in the couple that is taken into account. With Universal Credit, however, it’s the reverse and it’s the age of the youngest of the couple that’s factored in.
Here, we take a closer look at some of the key benefits for people over 50 in the UK, and how to find out what you might qualify for.
Support for over 50s looking for work
If you’re over 50 and still working, or you’re looking to get back into work, there’s support available provided you know where to look.
50+ work support
Through Jobcentre Plus, you can access one-to-one career coaching, skills training, and confidence-building workshops designed for midlife workers. If you are claiming Universal Credit, your Work Coach can offer you tailored employment and skills support as part of 50 PLUS Choices.
Midlife MOT
The government’s Midlife MOT offers free online and in-person advice to help you plan for the next stage of your career and finances. It focuses on three areas: work, health, and money. This support is aimed at people aged 45 to 65 but you can use it at any age.
You can explore the Midlife MOT tools here and at the government’s MoneyHelper website.
Finding work
Whether you’re looking for a full or part-time job, a career change after 50, or some post-retirement purpose, we have plenty of job and volunteering opportunities available on our website.
Use the buttons below to browse roles with age-diverse employers and organisations.
You can also find CV and cover letter writing advice, interview tips, and plenty of career ideas.
We even have role-specific career change guides and a wide catalogue of personal stories from real people – many of whom embarked on new professional journeys later in life.
Financial benefits if you’re out of work or on a low income
You might qualify for financial support if you’re looking for a job or are unable to work. Benefits that may be available to you include:
Jobseeker’s Allowance
You may be able to claim ‘new style’ Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) if you’re out of work (or working part time) and actively looking for work. To qualify, you’ll need to have both worked as an employee and have paid Class 1 National Insurance contributions, usually in the last two to three years. You must be under State Pension age and you won’t usually be able to get New Style JSA if you work 16 or more hours a week.
How much you’ll get: The maximum Jobseeker’s Allowance is £95.55 a week in the current 2026/27 tax year, and you can get JSA for up to 182 days (about 6 months).
In theory, you can claim Jobseeker’s Allowance at the same time as Universal Credit, but you won’t get any extra cash as the JSA will be deducted from your Universal Credit payments. It’s a good idea to use a benefits calculator to check how much JSA you can get, and how any other benefits you might be claiming will be affected.
Universal Credit
Universal Credit is a means-tested benefit which is paid monthly and is there to help you cover your living costs if you’re on a low income, unemployed, or off work due to sickness or disability.
If you’re single and aged over 25, the current standard Universal Credit allowance is £424.90 a month in the 2026/27 tax year. If you’re a couple and either of you are 25 or over, the standard allowance for both of you is £666.97.
At the moment, people assessed as having limited capability for work and work-related activity (LCWRA) due to having a health condition or disability receive an additional sum each month on top of their basic Universal Credit. The Government had planned to freeze this health-related top-up in its Welfare Bill, but has since U-turned on this so that it will increase in line with inflation, or rising living costs.
The Universal Credit health top-up in 2026/27 is £50 a week for new claimants. Learn more about Universal Credit in our guide Everything you need to know about Universal Credit.
Personal Independence Payment
The Personal Independence Payment is often one of the most important possible sources of support because it isn’t means-tested and is based on disability or long-term ill health.
The amount you’ll get is unaffected by income or savings and isn’t limited by National Insurance contributions.
There are two elements to PIP, and the amount you’ll get will depend on how difficult you find everyday activities (‘daily living’ tasks) and getting around (‘mobility’ tasks).
| PIP amounts | Lower weekly rate | Higher weekly rate |
| Daily living part | £76.70 | £114.60 |
| Mobility part | £30.30 | £80 |
You can only start a PIP claim before you reach State Pension age, but awards continue after it. You can learn more about PIP and whether you might qualify at GOV.UK
Employment and Support Allowance
You might be eligible to claim new style Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) if you have a limited capability for work because of an illness or disability and are under State Pension age.
To qualify, you must have made enough National Insurance contributions and not be working or getting Statutory Sick Pay.
The maximum Employment and Support Allowance is £95.55 a week if you’re able to attend work-focused appointments or activities designed to move you closer to work. If you fall into the Support group, however, and your health or disability means you can’t attend appointments or activities designed to move you closer to work, you receive a higher weekly rate of up to £145.90
New style ESA is not means-tested and you can claim it at the same time as Universal Credit. However, if you do, your Universal Credit amount will be reduced by the amount of ESA you get.
Learn more about ESA and how to apply at GOV.UK.
Council Tax Reduction
If you’re on a low income or receive certain benefits, you may be eligible for a Council Tax Reduction, regardless of age. Schemes vary across the UK, so you’ll need to contact your local council to find out if you’re eligible and how to apply. Learn more at GOV.UK
Even if your income is too high for a reduction, you may be entitled to other support, such as the Single Person Discount, which gives you 25% off your Council Tax bills if you live alone, or you might get a Disabled Band Reduction if your home has been adapted for disability needs.
Support if you care for others
You may be able to claim a Carer’s Allowance of £86.45 a week if you look after someone for more than 35 hours each week and the person you’re caring for gets certain benefits, such as the Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance or Attendance Allowance.
To qualify, you’ll need to meet the above points and earn no more than £204 a week after tax, National Insurance and expenses. Learn more about benefits for carers in our guide Carers: don’t miss out on benefits help.
Even if you aren’t eligible for Carer’s Allowance, you may still be able to claim Carer’s Credit, which helps protect your State Pension entitlement while you’re not working full-time. You could get Carer’s Credit if you’re caring for someone for at least 20 hours a week and your income and savings won’t affect your eligibility. Find out more here.
Help with housing costs
Housing Benefit is being replaced by Universal Credit, which may cover all or part of your rent. Learn more at Housing costs and Universal Credit: What you can get – GOV.UK.
Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI)
SMI is a government loan that can help with mortgage interest payments if you are out of work or on certain benefits. Find out more at Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI).
Health checks
People aged 40–74 are offered a free NHS Health Check every five years to assess risks of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and dementia. Your GP should contact you automatically but you can also request one.
The check takes around half an hour and usually includes:
- measuring your height and weight
- measuring your waist
- taking your blood pressure
- taking a cholesterol test, and possibly a blood sugar level test
Travel discounts
Most travel discounts don’t kick in until you reach the age of 60, but there are a few ways you might be able to cut the cost of train travel when you’re in your 50s.
For example, if you regularly travel with someone else, you might want to consider buying a Two Together card, as this will get you a third off fares.
The card, which costs £35 for a year, can be used at any time on weekends and public holidays on rail transport throughout Great Britain, and from 10:00am Monday to Friday. Learn more about and apply for the Two Together Railcard at Two Together Railcard, and see more travel discounts in our article Railcards for over 50s and 60s: how to save money on UK train travel.
Benefits after you reach State Pension age
There are various benefits you can only claim once you reach State Pension age.
Pension Credit
Pension Credit is the main benefit that’s intended to support people (of state pension age) who are on a low income.
Pension Credit has two parts, Guarantee Credit and Savings Credit. Guarantee Credit will top up your weekly income to a minimum of £238 a week if you’re single, or £363.25 if you’re married or in a civil partnership. Savings Credit is given to people of qualifying age who have contributed to other provisions or savings other than the basic State Pension. Savings Credit will provide an additional income of £17.96 a week for a single person, or £20.10 if you’re married or in a civil partnership.
But, in order to qualify for Savings Credit you must have reached State Pension age on or before 6 April 2016.
Additional Pension Credit is also awarded in special circumstances. You may be eligible for a larger benefit amount if:
- You’re disabled
- You’re a carer
- You’ve got certain housing costs to cover.
For more information on Pension Credit, read our article Pension Credit explained and to find out about other benefits you might be eligible once you reach State Pension age, see our guide Over 60s benefits: Understanding your entitlements.
A final thought…
It’s always worth checking what you might be entitled to, as even small benefits can make a big difference over time.
You can use one of the following benefits calculators to check whether you might qualify for income-related benefits, contribution-based benefits, Universal Credit, Council Tax Reduction or Carer’s Allowance:
Alternatively, you can search for a local benefits adviser who can help you work out what you could be entitled to.
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