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850k of us miss-out on pension credit – and ongoing winter fuel payments

henry tapper

Here is an updated of the report from Gareth and myself made two years ago.

We’re advertising Pension Credit again in August in advance of the  Pension Credit Week of Action – W/C 2 September 2024. If you blog or post on social media, the DWP has produced a series of posters , guides and videos that you can download from here.

Why do this again?

For many pensioners, everything seems to be going up. Energy bills are going up typically by £149 in October. This year pensioners will not have the £300 winter fuel allowance and will only get the Winter Fuel Payment if they qualify for it

The Government argues that for many pensioners, Winter Fuel Payments are not needed and that  it no longer being a universal benefit is countered by targeting (aka means testing)

Winter Fuel Payments are still available to those who qualify for Pension Credit.

Pension Credit tops up weekly income to a guaranteed minimum level of £218.15 a week for single pensioners or £332.95 for couples. It is a tax-free payment for those who:

Someone may still get Pension Credit if they:

You can use the Pension Credit calculator to find out how much Pension Credit someone could get – without giving any personal details.

The Door to more

Pension Credit also gives you extra money to help with your living costs if you’re over State Pension age and on a low income. Pension Credit could also qualify eligible applicants other support including Winter Fuel Payment, housing costs, help with Council Tax and a free TV licence for those aged 75 and over.

It is the “door to more”

Thanks to the Pension Credit backdating rules, it is possible to apply for Pension Credit and have the claim backdated by up to 3 months – so long as there is entitlement during that time. This means that the latest date to apply and still qualify for Winter Fuel Payment is 21st December 2024.

Here are the facts

For those who prefer to get their information by watching , there are a range of videos.

This one is aimed directly at the 850.000 who could claim but don’t

This video is for those who might have friends and families who could claim

and this one is for both those eligible and their friends and family

There are many other posters, factsheets and videos produced by the DWP that you can download and use.

My friend Guy Opperman has already kicked off his campaign

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