Thousands of people across the UK are set to lose their Winter Fuel Allowance this year – unless they are eligible for Pension Credit and act quickly.
Northamptonshire charity Community Law Service is urging people over State Pension age to check their eligibility – and that of their friends and family – for Pension Credits.
Pension Credit tops up weekly income to a guaranteed minimum level of £218.15 a week for single pensioners or £332.95 for couples. The Government estimates that up to 850,000 pensioner households may be entitled to Pension Credit, but do not claim it. Some pensioners think because they’ve got savings or own their home, they would not get any Pension Credit – this is not the case.
Community Law Service chief executive Sarah Hayle explained: “Pension Credit is historically a very underclaimed benefit but without it pensioners will no longer be eligible to receive their Winter Fuel Payments. Pension Credit is also a means of accessing a host of other benefits, including help with housing costs, council tax, heating bills and for those aged 75 or over, a free TV licence so we urge people to claim for what they are entitled to.”
A quick guide to entitlement
There are four main questions when considering whether a pensioner may get Pension Credit:
- Are they over state pension age?
- If they have a partner who lives with them, is their partner over state pension age?
- What is their weekly income? Is it less that £218.15 if they are single or £332.95 if they are a couple? If they have a disability or are a carer, this threshold could be higher
- Do they have any savings? Have they got less than £10,000 if so that is ignored completely?
People who have more income or savings than this may still qualify for Pension Credit, but these questions are a good basic indication of who is likely to qualify. Entitlement can be checked at https://www.gov.uk/pension-credit-calculator or by telephoning 0800-991234.
If they are over 65 and reached their State Pension age before 6 April 2016, they could still qualify for Pension Credit if their weekly income is less than:
- £260.68 if they are single
- £380.55 if they are a couple
To keep your Winter Fuel Payment, you must be eligible for Pension Credit during the ‘qualifying week’, of 16th to 22nd September. Since Pension Credit can be backdated by three months, the last date you can make a claim for Pension Credit and still get the Winter Fuel Payment is 21st December 2024.