People can still claim up to £500 in benefits despite 'cruel' winter cuts
by Isabelle Bates, https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/authors/isabelle-bates/, Samantha Downes · Birmingham LivePensioners are being encouraged to apply for a benefits scheme worth at least £300 before the deadline of Saturday, December 21. The combined potential total of three benefits could rise to £500.
Pension credit, distributed by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), is worth £300 and assists with heating costs. December 21 marks the final date that state pensioners can make a backdated claim for Pension Credit.
Claiming pension credit also allows pensioners to claim the Winter Fuel Allowance. The decision to abolish the Winter Fuel Allowance for pensioners not claiming Pensions Credit has led to a surge in new claims for the benefit by 145 per cent in the 18 weeks following the announcement.
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The DWP reported receiving approximately 150,000 Pension Credit claims after the announcement on July 29, compared to roughly 61,300 Pension Credit claims in the 16 weeks prior to the announcement. The Winter Fuel Payment, a separate DWP benefit, helps with heating costs and is worth between £200 and £300, depending on the applicant's date of birth.
Statistics show that around 880,000 pensioner households eligible for Pension Credit fail to claim it, missing out on hundreds of pounds of government aid. Pension Credit also provides access to other financial support, including reduced council tax and assistance with NHS costs, reports the Express.
It's estimated that Pension Credit is worth an average of £3,900 per year.
Who qualifies for Pension Credit and Winter Fuel Payment?
Households of state pension age or above, with a weekly income less than £218.15, or £332.95 for couples, can apply for Pension Credit. Applications can be backdated by three months.
If successful, applicants also receive the Winter Fuel Payment for 2024, worth between £200 and £300. State pensioners born between September 23, 1944, and September 22, 1958, will receive £200.
Those born before September 23, 1944, will get £300. As part of the application process, if state pensioners were entitled to Pension Credit for at least one day between September 16 and 22 at the earliest this year, they will also receive the Winter Fuel Payment.
Additional help with winter heating costs includes the Warm House Discount. The Warm Home Discount Scheme is a one-off payment worth £150, issued to households as a discount on electricity bills.
Eligible recipients will receive a letter from their energy supplier in January 2025 and the discount will be applied to their bill.
The Cold Weather Payment is another form of assistance. It is paid out when the average temperature in your area is recorded as - or forecast to be - 0C or below for seven consecutive days.
Depending on the weather, eligible households will receive £25 for each seven-day period of freezing weather between November 1 and March 31. If this occurred for the entirety of December, pensioners could receive an additional £100.