Pension credit

[jandalsinsummer]

Hi I am just wondering if I am missing something? Pension credit tops OAPs up to 217 a week? The full state pension is 230 a week (single person figures rounded for ease) annual difference is 156 pounds. If you get pension credit you get winter fuel allowance, free TV licence and council tax reduction automatically and are potentially eligible for a range of other benefits. So an extra 156 a year cuts you off from hundreds of pounds of additional benefits?
Trying to help my Mum afford to stay in her home and I feel like I am missing something!
Thanks

Your mum will be on the new "higher" pension from 2016. This is when it changed. This stops you getting pension credit as it is meant to be enough to live on.
As you say, there is very little difference in the payments, but you get excluded from extra help on the 2016 pension. It is really difficult when all you get is state pension.

Does your mum rent or is she in her own house? If she rents, she will get help with her rent and a lower council tax. Does she claim single person discount for CT?

Go onto entitled to and see if you can get any help with benefits etc.

Yes, Pension Credit is a 'cliff edge' benefit - income under a certain amount and you qualify, passporting you to automatic eligibility for a host of other benefits, a penny over and you don't.

Even if you don't qualify, if her income is low your mother may still be eligible for some benefits such as council tax reduction, but I think it would depend on the the local authority.

@Londonnight @P00hsticks thanks for the replies. I thought I might be missing something sadly I am not!
I will recheck entitled to and calling the council is on my job list.