Pensioners and their families have been told that they could claim £3,900 extra per year by doing a "five-minute" Department for Work and Pensions check. The push from a council in England has come as the government proceeds with plans to change the criteria for who gets a Winter Fuel Payment.
The payments, worth between £200 and £300 per year, were previously available to all pensioners. But Chancellor Rachel Reeves has moved to change that to only those who receive means-tested benefits, such as Pension Credit.
It will mean 9.3million fewer pensions receiving the fuel payment. The move has been criticised, not least by charity Age UK, which is leading a campaign to reverse the policy.
But the Labour government has defended the change, saying it is necessary to address what it called a "£22billion black hole" in the country's finances. However, it has urged all pensioners to check whether they are eligible for Pension Credit, as many who are have not been claiming it.
That has now been echoed by a council. In an email to its residents on Friday, Cornwall Council said: "£3,900 for five minutes of your time? Help spread the word to anyone you know over State Pension age that they could be missing out on extra money.
"Spending five minutes using the government's online 'can I claim Pension Credit?' checker tool and find out if they're entitled to extra support. They might be allowed to claim even if they: have savings, own their own home, are working, are getting a small occupational pension, have been turned down in the past."
The email then urged people to check via the DWP tool.
How to check if you could get Pension Credit and the Winter Fuel PaymentThe DWP says that when you apply for Pension Credit your income is calculated. If you have a partner, your income is calculated together.
Pension Credit tops up:
- your weekly income to £218.15 if you’re single
- your joint weekly income to £332.95 if you have a partner
The DWP said Pension Credit . If your income is higher, you might still be eligible for Pension Credit if you have a disability, you care for someone, you have savings or you have housing costs.
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What counts as incomeYour income includes:
- State Pension
- other pensions
- earnings from employment and self-employment
- most social security benefits, for example Carer’s Allowance
Not all benefits are counted as income. For example, the following are not counted:
- Adult Disability Payment
- Attendance Allowance
- Christmas Bonus
- Child Benefit
- Disability Living Allowance
- Personal Independence Payment
- social fund payments like Winter Fuel Allowance
- Housing Benefit
- Council Tax Reduction
Pension Credit tops up:
- your weekly income to £218.15 if you’re single
- your joint weekly income to £332.95 if you have a partner
You may get extra amounts if you have other responsibilities and costs. The top-up and extra amounts are known as ‘Guarantee Credit’.
If you have a severe disabilityYou could get an extra £81.50 a week if you get any of the following:
- Attendance Allowance
- the middle or highest rate from the care component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
- the daily living component of Adult Disability Payment (ADP) at the standard or enhanced rate
You could get an extra £45.60 a week if:
- you get Carer’s Allowance
- you get Carer Support Payment
- you’ve claimed Carer’s Allowance but are not being paid because you already get another benefit paying a higher amount
If you and your partner have both claimed or are getting Carer’s Allowance, you can both get this extra amount.
If you’re responsible for children or young people You could get an extra £66.29 a week for each child or young person you’re responsible for. This is increased to £76.79 a week for the first child if they were born before 6 April 2017. The child or young person must normally live with you and be under the age of 20.
If they’re 16 or over and under 20, they must be in (or accepted for):
- approved training, such as Foundation Apprenticeships
- a course of non-advanced education (for example, they’re studying for GCSEs or A levels)
If they’re in education, it must be for more than 12 hours a week on average. If you get Tax Credits, you cannot get this extra amount of Pension Credit for caring for a child. But you might be eligible for Child Tax Credits.
If the child or young person is disabledIf the child or young person is disabled, you could also get an extra amount of either:
- £35.93 a week if they get DLA, PIP or ADP
- £112.21 a week if they’re blind or they get the highest rate care component of DLA or CDP, or the enhanced daily living component of PIP or ADP
You could get an extra amount to cover your housing costs, such as:
- ground rent if your property is a leasehold
- some service charges
- charges for tents and site rents
The amount you could get depends on your housing costs.
If you get Pension Credit, you could also be eligible for:
- Council Tax Reduction
- Housing Benefit if you rent the property you live in
- Support for Mortgage Interest if you own the property you live in
You could get the ‘Savings Credit’ part of Pension Credit if both of the following apply:
- you reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016
- you saved some money for retirement, for example a personal or workplace pension
You’ll get up to £17.01 Savings Credit a week if you’re single. If you have a partner, you’ll get up to £19.04 a week. You might still get some Savings Credit even if you do not get the Guarantee Credit part of Pension Credit.
Other help if you get Pension CreditIf you get Pension Credit you’ll automatically get cold weather payments.
You’ll also be eligible to:
- apply for a free TV licence if you’re aged 75 or over
- get help with NHS costs if you get the Guarantee Credit part of Pension Credit
NHS costs can include things such as prescriptions, dental treatment, glasses and transport costs for hospital appointments.
