State pensioners risk losing £3,900 from their bank accounts for Christmas

State pensioners have been warned they risk losing £3,900 thanks to a Pension Credit delay. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) wait times have doubled – sparking panic pensioners may miss out on vital winter support.

The average wait has doubled from 25 working days in September to 52 working days in October, leaving pensioners at risk of facing cold weather without winter fuel payments, which are worth £300 from the new Labour Party government.

Pension credit claims are now taking over 10 weeks to process – around two and a half months and exceeding the DWP’s own 50-day target. “It’s unfortunately no surprise that waiting times have gone up, since households will be exceptionally worried about the increased cost of heating since October and with less support available for energy bills,” said Matt Copeland, head of policy at charity National Energy Action.

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“For those on prepayment meters, there is a serious risk of self-disconnection happening over the winter if they need to wait 52 working days to complete the pension credit application process. Elderly people are at far greater risk of health issues from living in a cold home – these can include respiratory and cardiovascular illnesses.

“Getting pension credit is so important for low-income and vulnerable households because it enables them to access the winter fuel payment. The government needs to sort these delays out as soon as possible to avoid further hardship for these households during the coldest time of the year.”

A DWP spokesperson said: “We want to ensure all pensioners get the support they’re entitled to. These figures are a reflection of our successful pension credit campaign boosting applications by 152%. Successful claims for pension credit can be backdated by three months, so all eligible claims made by 21 December would also receive a winter fuel payment as well as arrears of pension credit.

“We continue to urge anyone who thinks they may be entitled to pension credit to check now.”