State pensioners who meet a ‘living rule’ can get an extra £69.98 per week from April 6 with one claim to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Pensioners on a low income can get weekly payments from the DWP to help with living costs by claiming Pension Credit, and in cases where someone is responsible for a child or young person in their household, the benefit can be topped up with additional amounts. As of April 6, the standard minimum guarantee for Pension Credit has increased by 4.8% taking the single weekly rate from £227.10 to £238. According to the DWP, the 4.8% boost in line with the average earnings means Pension Credit is now worth an average of £4,300 per year.

But the DWP will also pay extra cash on top of the standard rate to support pensioners who are responsible for a child or young person – provided they are living with them.

This allowance has also increased to give pensioners a top up of £69.98 per week (up from £67.42) from April 6. Over a full year, this amounts to £3,638.96 additional payments from the DWP, on top of Pension Credit.

To be eligible for the top up, pensioners must be responsible for a child or young person and that person must be living with them.

Pensioners can also get extra amounts depending on when the first child was born. The DWP will increase the payment to £81.07 per week for the first child if they were born before April 6, 2017, which amounts to £4,215.64 in extra payments over a full year.

The DWP explains: “You could get an extra amount for each child or young person you’re responsible for who lives with you. You’ll get £69.98 a week for each child or young person. This is increased to £81.07 a week for the first child if they were born before 6 April 2017. You will get the extra amount until the 31 August after their:

Not only can pensioners get this extra amount if they are responsible for a child or young person living with them, Pension Credit also opens the door to a wealth of other financial support, including housing costs, council tax reduction, free TV licences, and help with heating costs.

To qualify for Pension Credit you must have reached state pension age and live in England, Scotland or Wales. You can apply for it up to four months before reaching state pension age or any time after, but your application can only be backdated by three months. This means you can get up to three months of Pension Credit in your first payment if you were eligible during that time.

You can use the government’s online Pension Credit calculator to get an estimate of how much you could get and can contact the Pension Service helpline on 0800 99 1234 to check if you’re eligible for extra amounts.