Pensioners urged to check if they could be eligible for Pension Credit to secure the Winter Fuel Payment, worth up to £300 per household.
- Claiming Pension Credit can also passport pensioners to additional help with housing costs, council tax, and heating bills
- Comes as Deputy Prime Minister and Work and Pensions Secretary write to Local Authorities to boost uptake of pension credit in their local areas
The Department for Work and Pensions is today urging pensioners to check their eligibility for Pension Credit in order to secure this year’s Winter Fuel Payment.
It comes as the government has had to make some difficult decisions to fix the foundations of the economy due to the dire state of the public finances, with the Winter Fuel Payment – worth up to £300 – set to be means-tested and delivered to those on Pension Credit to ensure it is targeted towards those in most need.
Around 1.3 million households in England and Wales will continue to receive Winter Fuel Payments, but the government is determined to boost take-up of Pension Credit to ensure low-income pensioners continue to get this help.
The Deputy Prime Minister and Work and Pensions Secretary are writing to Local Authorities and will join forces with them, older peoples’ charities, and other groups this September for its annual Pension Credit Week of Action.
The government’s Pension Credit awareness drive will help identify households not claiming the benefit, and encourage pensioners to apply by 21 December, the last date for making a backdated claim for Pension Credit, in order to receive the Winter Fuel Payment.
While around 1.4 million pensioners are already receiving Pension Credit there are up to an estimated 880,000 households eligible for the support who are yet to claim.
Pensioners whose weekly income is below £218.15 for a single person or £332.95 for a couple should check to see if they could be eligible. It is worth on average £3,900 a year and can also open doors to further financial help, such as housing costs, council tax, and heating bills, and the Winter Fuel Payment worth up to £300.
And, pensioners who own their own home or have savings or a private pension income could still be eligible – with DWP’s online calculator able to work out how much an individual could get.
Further Information
- Applications for Pension Credit can be made:
- On the How to Claim page
- Over the phone by calling 0800 99 1234 (Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm)
- By printing out and filling in a paper application form
- For more information visit the Pension Credit GOV.UK page.
