The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is writing to all customers who currently receive their State Pension or benefit payments into a Post Office card account (POca).
The letter informs claimants that the POca service is closing and asks them to provide alternative account details.
POca has been a way for people to access their money since 2003 and was introduced to provide a ‘simple’ banking facility for those without regular bank accounts, but the UK Government’s contract with the Post Office ends in November 2021 and a gradual phasing out of services has been rolled out.
Around 900,000 people across the UK use POca to collect payments, but over the last four years the DWP has been writing to claimants and encouraging them to have these paid directly into their bank accounts instead.
In a statement, the DWP said: “Our dedicated customer service centre is available to take calls from POca customers, to accept new account details or answer any questions.
“We will ensure all future payments are switched to the customer’s new account from the next available payment date and there will be no interruptions with their payments.”
The DWP also said that a payment exception service will be made available for anyone unable to open a different type of account or provide new account details.
For more information on switching from POca to a different account, contact the DWP Customer Service Centre free on 0800 085 7133 or using Textphone: 0800 085 7146.
