HUNDREDS of thousands of households will need to claim a key benefit to qualify for a winter fuel payment later this year.
If they fail to apply before the deadline, families in need of extra support risk losing out on an additional £300 in free cash.
Over 800,000 households are eligible for pension credit but aren’t claiming the benefit.
However, following a shake-up to the winter fuel payment scheme, it’s now vital these households apply for pension credit to qualify.
Aorund 10million pensioners will no longer be eligible for winter fuel payments as part of cuts made by Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
The £300 government handout was previously available to everyone aged above 66 and helped with pricey energy costs.
However, Ms Reeves said on Monday that the cash would only be given to retirees on pension credit, or other means-tested benefits.
Pension Credit tops up your weekly income to £218.15 if you are single or to £332.95 if you have a partner.
This is known as “guarantee credit”.
It can also help with housing costs such as ground rent or service charges.
However, to qualify for this year’s winter fuel payment, you must have been claiming pension credit payments during the qualifying week.
This will take place between September 16 and 22.
It’s wise to put in an application as soon as possible, as the DWP can take up to two months to process new claims.
However, new claims for pension credit can be backdated by three months.
This means that the absolute deadline to claim the benefit and qualify for this year’s winter fuel payment is December 21.
If you fail to apply for the benefit before this date, you won’t qualify for this year’s £300 winter fuel payment.
A government spokesperson said: “This government is committed to pensioners – protecting the triple lock, keeping energy bills low through our Warm Homes Plan, and cutting NHS waiting lists – bringing real stability to people’s lives.
“We said we would be honest with the public and, given the dire state of the public finances we have inherited, this government must take difficult decisions to fix the foundations of the economy.
“In these circumstances, it is right that Winter Fuel Payments are targeted at those in most need, and we will work with Local Authorities to boost the uptake of pension credit, reaching the many pensioners who could still benefit from this year’s winter fuel payments.”
YOU can start your application up to four months before you reach state pension age.
Applications for pension credit can be made on the government website or by ringing the pension credit claim line on 0800 99 1234.
You can get a friend or family member to ring for you, but you’ll need to be with them when they do.
You’ll need the following information about you and your partner if you have one:
You can also check your eligibility online by visiting www.gov.uk/pension-credit first.
If you claim after you reach pension age, you can backdate your claim for up to three months.
Pension Credit tops up your weekly income to £218.15 if you are single or to £332.95 if you have a partner.
This is known as “guarantee credit”.
If your income is lower than this, you’re very likely to be eligible for the benefit.
However, if your income is slightly 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.
You could get an extra £81.50 a week if you have a disability or claim any of the following:
You could get the “savings credit” part of pension credit if both of the following apply:
This part of pension credit is worth £17.01 for single people or £19.04 for couples.
Pension credit opens the door to other support, including housing benefits, cost of living payments, council tax reductions and the winter fuel payment.
Claims for pension credit also open doors to a number of freebies and discounts.
For example, pension credit claimants over 75 qualify for a free TV licence worth up to £169.50 a year.
Claims for the benefit also provide eligibility to £25 a week cold weather payments and the £150 warm home discount.
We have a guide on all the state pension freebies and discounts you can get.
YOU can use a benefits calculator to help check that you are not missing out on money you are entitled to
Charity Turn2Us’ benefits calculator works out what you could get.
Entitledto’s free calculator determines whether you qualify for various benefits, tax credit and Universal Credit.
MoneySavingExpert.com and charity StepChange both have benefits tools powered by Entitledto’s data.
You can use Policy in Practice’s calculator to determine which benefits you could receive and how much cash you’ll have left over each month after paying for housing costs.
Your exact entitlement will only be clear when you make a claim, but calculators can indicate what you might be eligible for.
