Up to 850,000 pensioners have just three weeks to put in a claim for pension credit in order to avoid missing out on the one-off £650 cost of living payment. Friends and families are being urged to help pensioners check their eligibility for benefit, and they have until August 18 to start the ball rolling.
MPs are pressuring the Government to improve their strategy for boosting pension credit uptake by the end of the year, amid fears that hundreds of thousands of the poorest pensioner are missing out on the benefit each year. Pension credit works by topping up weekly incomes to a minimum of £182.60 for single people and £278.70 for couples, and this year, it also means that claimants are eligible for the £650 cost of living payment.
While the first half of the cost of living payment is currently being paid out, it is not too late to apply and receive the money, which is part of the cost of living package announced by the former Chancellor Rishi Sunak earlier this year. The second half of the payment, £324, is due to be paid in autumn - although no set date has been announced, reports The Mirror.
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Age UK is encouraging all elderly people who are worried about paying their bills to check their eligibility and apply for pension credit ahead of the deadline next month and stressed that having savings, a private pension or owning a home are not necessarily barriers to receiving the payment- contrary to what many might think.
In order to receive the full £650, you must qualify for pension credit either now or have been entitled to it between April 26 and May 25. You can see the full eligibility criteria here or by ringing 0800 99 1234. Age UK will also help on 0800 169 65 65.
The pension credit application can be backdated for three months and August 18 is the final date to start the claim. As well as the means-tested £650 payment, there is an extra £300 support for eight million pensioners as energy costs continue to surge this winter.
Pensioners who claim Pension Credit are also entitled to:
- Cold weather payment worth £25, paid automatically when the average temperature is 0°C or below over seven consecutive days
- £150 off electricity bill thorough the Warm Home Discount Scheme (if eligible)
- A free TV licence (if over-75)
- Free NHS dental treatment and help towards the cost of glasses and travel to hospital
- Help with council tax and rent
- Cheaper phone and home broadband deals
- Reduced water bills
- An extra amount of pension credit for some carers worth up to £37.70 a week
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