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Home Finance Pensioners urged to check Pension Credit eligibility as cost-of-living payment deadline looms

Pensioners urged to check Pension Credit eligibility as cost-of-living payment deadline looms

by Uma Rajagopal
iStock 824132644

 

  • Pension Credit claimants are entitled to a £324 cost of living payment as well as further payments of £900 to be paid next year.
  • The deadline for submitting a successful claim and receiving the £324 payment is 18 December.
  • Applications can be submitted online as well as by telephone and post.
  • Pension Credit tops up the income to £182.60 per week for single pensioners and to £278.70 for couples.
  • It also acts as a valuable gateway to other benefits but remains hugely underclaimed.

Helen Morrissey, senior pensions and retirement analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown:

“People have faced huge financial challenges this year and need to claim all the support they can to help them through the next few months. Pensioners in particular have faced a tough time as surging food and energy bills take huge chunks out of their income and for many pensioners it’s been a real battle.

Pension Credit tops up the income of the poorest pensioners and acts as a valuable gateway to other support such as help with council tax and NHS costs. Claimants aged 75 and above can also get a free TV licence. This year Pension Credit claimants have also been able to claim extra cost of living payments from the government with a £324 payment being paid recently and a further £900 due to be paid in instalments next year. Such support can make a huge difference and yet Pension Credit remains massively underclaimed.

There are several reasons for this. People don’t realise you can claim if you own your own home or if you have savings for instance. However, the deadline to submit a successful claim for Pension Credit and qualify for the £324 cost of living payment is looming and it is vital that as many people as possible claim.

Applications can be submitted online, on the phone or by post – though beware of Christmas post backlogs-if you think either yourself or a loved one might qualify then it’s well worth picking up the phone or getting online before the 18 December deadline to see if you can make a claim. There have been reports that DWP are dealing with a backlog after a surge in applications so there may be some delay in processing your claim but if you are eligible and you submit your claim in time you will benefit.”

How to claim Pension Credit

  • Online at Pension Credit: How to claim – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
  • By telephone via the Pension Credit claim line 0800 99 1234 which is open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.
  • By post by printing out and posting this form Pension Credit claim form – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
  • If you need help filling out the form, then organisations like Citizens Advice and Age UK can help.
  • You will need your National Insurance number as well as information about any income, savings and investments.
  • Claims can be backdated for three months.

 

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Uma Rajagopal

Uma Rajagopal has been managing the posting of content for multiple platforms since 2021, including Global Banking & Finance Review, Asset Digest, Biz Dispatch, Blockchain Tribune, Business Express, Brands Journal, Companies Digest, Economy Standard, Entrepreneur Tribune, Finance Digest, Fintech Herald, Global Islamic Finance Magazine, International Releases, Online World News, Luxury Adviser, Palmbay Herald, Startup Observer, Technology Dispatch, Trading Herald, and Wealth Tribune. Her role ensures that content is published accurately and efficiently across these diverse publications.