MILLIONS of pensioners may qualify for extra financial benefits, discounts and freebies worth up to £11,600.
You might also be able to unlock the winter fuel payment after the Government announced a major change to the eligibility criteria.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed on Monday that only those on certain means-tested benefits will qualify for the up to £300 payment this winter.
That includes those on pension credit which recent figures reveal around 800,000 people are missing out on.
The state pension is a weekly payment made by the Government to those aged 66 and over to cover the cost of living during retirement.
The full rate of the new state pension is £211.20 a week – worth £11,502 annually.
However, those on a state pension can also access other freebies, discounts and benefits to top up what they get.
From pension credit if you are on a low income, to football ticket discounts and free prescriptions, here is all the help you can get.
Pension credit is a Government benefit available to people of state pension age in England, Scotland and Wales.
It tops up your weekly income to £218.15 if you are single and £332.95 if you are in a couple.
Usually, if your weekly income is less than the above figures, you should be eligible for the benefit.
The average pension credit claim is worth £3,900 across the UK but what you receive is based on your specific circumstances. This includes:
There are two parts to pension credit – the “Savings Credit” part and “Guarantee Credit” part – and you can be eligible for both.
You may also get additional pension credit if you are disabled or have caring responsibilities.
One major perk of pension credit is that it opens up a host of other perks and freebies.
This includes a free TV Licence if you are 75 or over, council tax discounts and support for Mortgage Interest.
It also unlocks the winter fuel payment, which is now available to millions less after the Government announced it was scrapping the payment for those not on certain means-tested benefits.
Attendance allowance is a benefit for those who have reached state pension age and have certain health conditions.
The benefit is designed to cover the extra costs associated with having a disability and is worth up to £5,644.60 a year.
You are eligible if you’ve reached state pension age and the following apply:
You must also:
If you have been told by a medical professional that you have 12 months or less to live, you can start receiving Attendance Allowance faster and at a higher rate.
Bear in mind that you won’t normally be eligible for attendance allowance if you live in a care home and your care is paid for by your local authority.
However, if you pay for all care home costs yourself, you can apply for the benefit.
When you’ve reached state pension age, you no longer pay National Insurance (NI), even if you’re still working which can make for a decent saving in retirement.
The threshold for NI payments is currently £12,570 a year for employed workers.
If you’re earning £30,000 a year you would save £1,394.40 in the 2024/25 tax year.
NI only applies to employment income – so if you retire before state pension age, and you only earn an income from pensions, you won’t have to pay it.
Many football clubs in the UK offer discounts for people over the age of 65.
For example, West Ham United offers over 66-year-olds discounts worth up to 50% off on season tickets.
Once you reach 60, you can get free prescriptions from your local pharmacy – prescriptions usually cost £9.90 each in England.
So if you usually buy a single prescription each month you could save £118.80 over the year.
This benefit is automatic and there’s no need to apply.
If you’re 60 or over you’re also entitled to a free NHS sight test, so you should let your optician know when you reach 60 if you haven’t already.
Eye tests can usually cost between £20 and £30.
In England, you can get a bus pass for free travel when you reach the State Pension age.
Plus, if you live in London, you can travel free on buses, tubes and other transport when you’re 60 – but only within London.
In Wales, you can get a bus pass when you reach 60.
You get an older person’s bus pass when you’re 60 if you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland.
You can apply for the pass via your local council’s website which will have more information.
Make sure to check the website or phone your local council if you have any questions.
How much you save will depend on how much you use the pass.
But the average person with a concessionary bus pass made 64 journeys in the year to March 2022.
That’s the equivalent to an annual saving of a £128, with the average bus ticket currently costing £2.
Pensioners with a Senior Railcard can get discounted rail fares.
There is an annual cost of £30 for the card and gets you 1/3 off train travel. You can also buy a three-year card for £70.
People with a Railcard save on average £96 a year, according to National Rail.
The Senior Railcard is available to travellers aged 60 or over.
You can apply for the card on the National Rail website.
When temperatures plummet, households across the country could be entitled to extra cash through the cold weather payment.
The money from the government is worth £25 and people on pension credit are eligible.
It is dished out when temperatures are recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees or below, on average, for seven consecutive days.
You get £25 for each seven-day period where the weather is below zero Celsius on average during this time frame.
You don’t need to apply for the cold weather payment as it’s paid automatically to those who are eligible.
People aged over 60 can get discounted days out and cinema tickets.
If you’re an existing National Trust member aged 60 or over, and you’ve been a member for at least the last three years, you can ask for 25% off your subscription.
This means that you’ll pay £63 for individual senior membership instead of £84 and £104.40 for joint senior membership instead of £139.20.
Empire has special senior screenings for over-60s every Wednesday morning and tickets cost £3.75.
Odeon also holds weekly “Silver Cinema” screenings for over-60s with ticket prices starting at £3.50.
Both cinemas also provide free refreshments too.
Plus, Vue cinemas senior screenings are discounted for over 60s and include a cup of tea and a biscuit.
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.
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