State pensioners being handed 12 freebies and discounts worth £17,342 in November

12 freebies and discounts you can get on State Pension in November have been revealed. State pensioners have been handed a handy boost to kick start the month, in the form of a Triple Lock increase as the new Labour Party government pledged it was committed to the uplift.

The Chancellor has confirmed that the state pension will rise by 4.1 per cent to match the average earnings element of the triple lock. This means that next year’s full new state pension is set to reach £11,975.60 annually, an increase of £473. The increase, combined with pre-planned freezing of income tax thresholds mean full state pension will be 95 per cent of the personal allowance.

Steven Cameron, pensions director, Aegon says: “This increase is more than double the 1.7 per cent inflation figure announced earlier this month. The 4.1 per cent increase is based on the Triple Lock formula, under which pensions increase each April by the highest of three measures – earnings growth (the year-on-year rise in average earnings for the period May to July), price inflation (for the year to September, announced as 1.7 per cent earlier this month), or a minimum of 2.5 per cent.

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“For those who reached state pension age before 6 April 2016 and who are on the full basic state pension, the increase would be around £6.95, bringing them to £176.45 per week, or £9,175.40 a year.

“A little-known rule is that any earnings-related element of the basic State Pension, relating to the pre-April 2016 rules, and top ups, are only increased in line with the rate of inflation and not the Triple Lock. Therefore, some may find their overall state pension increase lags behind the 4.1 per cent figure.”

Pension Credit - £3900

Currently, Pension Credit provides 1.4m people across the UK - including over 125,000 in Scotland - with additional money to help with living costs if they are over State Pension age and on a low income. It is a 'passport' benefit providing on average more than £3,900 each year in financial support, acting as a 'gateway' to Council Tax discounts, help with housing costs and NHS discounts along with free TV Licences for the over-75s.

The Pension Credit Calculator on the GOV. UK website is a useful tool for ensuring you or a family member are receiving all the financial support you're entitled to. For further assistance, the Pension Credit helpline can be reached at 0800 99 1234.

Attendance Allowance - £5644

Attendance Allowance is valued at either £72.65 (lower rate) or £108.55 (higher rate) per week. As this benefit is typically paid every four weeks, that equates to either £290.60 or £434.20, or up to £5,644.60 a year. The amount someone receives depends on the level of support required. The benefit is designed to assist people of State Pension age with daily living costs, which can also help them maintain their independence in their own home for longer. It's crucial to note that there is no mobility component attached to Attendance Allowance.

Attendance Allowance aids individuals with a disability, long-term illness, and mental or physical health conditions and more than 40 conditions are supported through the benefit. The most commonly claimed disabling condition - a term used by the DWP - is arthritis, providing support for 460,993 people across Great Britain. Here's everything you need to know about Attendance Allowance, including the main health conditions being claimed, eligibility, and how to make a claim.

Council Tax reduction - £2171

You could be eligible for a discount on your council tax, if you're on a low income or claim benefits. In some cases, your bill could even be reduced by up to 100%. You can apply if you own your home, rent, are unemployed or working. Wherever you live, the amount of Council Tax Reduction you get depends on many factors, including:

• your age
• your income, including any benefits you receive
• your savings
• who you live with
• how much Council Tax you pay.

You may get more Council Tax Reduction if you receive a disability or carer's benefit - and if you receive the pension credit guarantee, you may be exempt from paying a penny at all.

Housing benefit

Housing benefit gives help with part or all of the cost of rent to those who are on low incomes or claim certain benefits. You can claim whether you're employed or unemployed, but if you live with your partner, only one of you can get housing benefit.

A DWP spokesperson said: "Anyone who believes they're entitled to benefits should contact Jobcentre Plus – online, over the phone or by visiting their local branch. Our dedicated advisers and work coaches are on hand to help people claim what they are entitled to, and can signpost to other support options available."

Cold weather payment £25

A payment of £25 is currently made only when temperatures are recorded or forecast to be zero degrees Celsius, or below, for seven consecutive days. The DWP payment is only made to people in England and Wales. The Scottish Government introduced a new one-off £50 annual payment for people in Scotland last winter, which has increased to £55 for this year.

Warm home discount £150

The Warm Home Discount Scheme for winter 2024 to 2025 is now open across Great Britain and will give people on certain benefits £150 off their electricity bill. A full list of participating energy suppliers can be found online.

The scheme eligibility rules changed in 2022, which means some people may no longer qualify and others might need to apply - people in Scotland - as they will not receive the discount directly.

The money is paid directly by the DWP to energy suppliers between October and March. Eligible households may also be able to get the discount off their gas bill instead - if their supplier provides them with both gas and electricity, just contact them once the scheme opens to find out.

If you’re a credit customer the £150 will be added to your electricity account and if you’re on Pay As You Go or Prepayment, you’ll be sent a voucher that you can use to top-up your meter. Below is an overview of the scheme and the rules on eligibility.

WaterSure Scheme - £473

WaterSure is a scheme which helps some people with their water bills. To apply for the scheme, you must be on benefits and need to use a lot of water either for medical reasons or because your household has a certain number of school-age children. You also need to be on a water meter or be waiting to have one installed.

If you get your water from Welsh Water you’re covered by WaterSure Wales, which works in a similar way to the English scheme. If you get help through the WaterSure scheme, your water bill will be capped. This means you will not pay any more than the average metered bill for the area your water company deals with.

In some cases, your normal metered water bill could be less than your company's WaterSure cap. If this applies to you, you will only be billed for the amount of water you use. The average water bill in England and Wales for the period from April 2024 to March 2025 is £473 per year, or £1.29 per day. This includes both water and sewerage services.

You can ask your water company what their cap is if you want to check this before applying.

Free TV licence - £169

One little known perk of growing older, is that if you're 75 or over and you claim Pension Credit, you're entitled to a free TV licence. If you're visually impaired, but have yet to reach that age milestone, you may also be able to get a discount too.

You need a TV licence to watch or record live programmes on any TV channel, including BBC channels. You also need a licence to watch BBC programmes using BBC iPlayer whether you're watching live or watching a downloaded programme on your TV, computer, tablet or smartphone.

A standard TV licence costs £169.50 per year - making it quite a saving if eligible.

Carer's Allowance - £4000

There are millions of carers in the UK on low or no pay, with many of them missing out on vital help in the form of Carer's Allowance or Carer's Credit. If you care for someone for at least 20 hours a week, you could boost your State Pension by £1,000s or even be entitled to nearly £4,000 a year.

You could get £81.90 a week if you care for someone at least 35 hours a week and they get certain benefits. You do not have to be related to, or live with, the person you care for. You do not get paid extra if you care for more than one person. If someone else also cares for the same person as you, only one of you can claim Carer’s Allowance.

Transport concessions - £142

People with a Senior Railcard save on average £142 a year, according to the government. The Senior Railcard is available to travellers aged 60 or over. You can apply for the card on the National Rail website.

Once you reach the State Pension age in England, you're eligible for a free bus pass. If you're a London resident, you can travel for free on buses, tubes and other transport when you turn 60, but only within London. In Wales, you can get a bus pass when you hit 60.

On average, a person with a concessionary bus pass made 64 journeys in the year leading up to March 2023. This equates to an annual saving of £128, considering the current average bus ticket price of £2.

Free prescriptions and eye tests - £118

Once you reach 60, you can get free prescriptions from your local pharmacy - prescriptions usually cost £9.90 each in England. So if you usually buy a single prescription each month you could save £118.80 over the year.

Household Support Fund - £550

The Department of Work and Pensions has detailed eligibility for the extended Household Support Fund. The fund has been extended until the end of September and will benefit thousands across the country. The fund is designed to provide additional support for households dealing with the increasing cost of living. Families eligible for this scheme can receive financial help to cover essential expenses, including food, utilities such as gas, electricity, and water, and essentials linked to energy and water such as warm clothing and boiler repairs. The amounts that different households can receive is variable between different local authorities.