Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 section 157

Increases (including increase for one of a couple)

Section 157 sets out the circumstances in which the weekly rate of State Pension (Non-Contributory) may be increased for dependants and personal circumstances.

• Pensioners may receive an increase for a qualified adult where they are living with or mainly maintaining a spouse, civil partner or cohabitant, calculated in accordance with Part 2 of Schedule 4, though only one such increase can be claimed at a time.
• Additional weekly increases apply for living alone, being aged 80 or over, or residing on an island off the Irish coast, at the amounts set out in the relevant columns of Part 1 of Schedule 4.
• The qualified adult increase is not payable if the spouse, civil partner or cohabitant is already receiving certain social welfare payments or training allowances.
• For claims made after 24 September 2007, the qualified adult increase is paid directly to the spouse, civil partner or cohabitant rather than to the pensioner.