Are you entitled to unclaimed pension credit?

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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.

Work and Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall said:

The £22 billion black hole in the public finances we have inherited has required us to take difficult decisions, but I am determined to ensure low-income pensioners are supported.

That’s why I urge any pensioner, or their loved ones, to check if they could get Pension Credit.

This government remains completely committed to pensioners which is why we’re protecting the income of over 12 million pensioners through the Triple Lock.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves said:

The dire state of the public finances we inherited from the previous government means we’ve had to make some very difficult decisions.

Our commitment to supporting pensioners remains, which is why we are maintaining the triple lock.

We want pensioners to get the support they are entitled to. That’s why I urge all pensioners to check whether they are eligible for Pension Credit.

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said:

Everyone has paid the price for over a decade of energy insecurity, which is why we are getting on with delivering clean power by 2030, alongside our ambitious Warm Homes Plan.

It is imperative that those eligible get the support they need this winter, which is why the government will do everything it can to roll out Pension Credit, making sure as many people as possible qualify for the up to £300 Winter Fuel Payment.

During the Week of Action, set to commence in September, the DWP and its partners will be tackling some of the myths that may stop people applying, such as how having savings, a pension or owning a home are not necessarily barriers to receiving Pension Credit.

This work builds on last year’s Invitation to claim pilots, where letters and leaflets were targeted at households already in receipt of Housing Benefit, but not claiming Pension Credit in ten local authorities.

This work comes alongside wider plans to ensure economic stability for pensioners by protecting the Triple Lock, improving energy security and keeping energy bills low through the Warm Homes Plan and cutting NHS waiting lists.

Over the next five years over 12 million pensioners will see their State Pension increase by thousands of pounds as a result of the commitment to the Triple Lock.

And the Warm Homes Plan which will support investment in insulation and low carbon heating – upgrading millions of homes over this Parliament. This government’s long-term plan will protect billpayers permanently and reduce fuel poverty.

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.
• The Winter Fuel Payment is worth £300 for households with someone aged 80 or over. Households with someone aged 66-79 will receive £200.
• We will work with Local Authorities to bring together the administration of Pension Credit and Housing Benefit as soon as operationally possible.
• People who have reached State Pension age before September 23, 2024 and are in receipt of Pension Credit, Income Support, Income based JSA, Income related ESA and Universal Credit, will be entitled to a Winter Fuel Payment – subject to eligibility conditions.
• The regulations to means-test the Winter Fuel Payment will be laid on 22 August 2024. The qualifying week in 2024 for Winter Fuel Payments will be from 16 to 22 September.
• 21 December is the last date for making a backdated claim for Pension Credit, assuming the claimant met the Pension Credit entitlement conditions throughout the previous three months.
• Anyone who is entitled to Pension Credit for at least one day of the Winter Fuel Payment qualifying week will have automatic entitlement to Winter Fuel Payment. There are some exceptions which are detailed on GOV.UK: Winter Fuel Payment: Eligibility – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• People do not have to do anything extra to backdate their claim. If they make their application online, they will automatically be asked if they would like to backdate it. If they make their application over the phone the advisor will talk them through this.
• Around 1.3 million households in England and Wales will continue to receive Winter Fuel Payments due to some other pensioner households being eligible and expected extra Pension Credit take up due to this reform.

Pension Credit recipients by region (as of February 2024):