PENSIONERS should be aware of a government tool that can confirm eligibility for the £300 winter fuel payment.
The Pension Credit Calculator lets you check if you qualify for the benefit that gives you extra cash for energy over the colder months.
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It comes as 10million elderly are now expected to go without the £300 this winter.
Just a few weeks back Chancellor Rachel Reeves said she would limit the amount of people who could get the handout in a bid to tackle overspending by the former Tory government.
The cuts will happen this year and only those on Pension Credit and other means tested benefits will get the money.
The Department of Work and Pensions has now urged those aged over 66 to check if they can get the credit.
It said: “While around 1.4 million pensioners are already receiving Pension Credit there are up to an estimated 880,000 households eligible for the support who are yet to claim.”
This does not impact your state pension as the benefit is intended to give you extra money to help with your living costs if you are aged 66 or over.
Using the calculator will also not impact any benefits you are currently on.
How to check your eligibility?
For those who are unsure if they can get access to the help, you can use the government’s Pension Credit Calculator.
This is available on the Gov.uk website and you have to put in your personal details to see if you qualify or not.
Before you begin the process you will need details of your earnings, benefits, pensions, savings and investments.
If you have a partner you must put in their details as well.
Applications for pension credit can also be made 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:
- National Insurance number
- Information about any income, savings and investments you have
- Information about your income, savings and investments on the date you want to backdate your application to (usually three months ago or the date you reached state pension age)
If you claim after you reach pension age, you can backdate your claim for up to three months.
Are you missing out on benefits?
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.
Who cannot use the calculator
You cannot use the calculator if you or your partner:
- Are deferring your State Pension
- Own more than one property
- Are self employed
- Have housing costs (such as service charges or Crown Tenant rent) which are neither mortgage repayments nor rent covered by Housing Benefit
- Gets Housing Benefit for people over State Pension age, and the other person is under State Pension age
How much can I get?
Pension Credit tops up your weekly income to £218.15 if you are single or to £332.95 if you have a partner.
This works out as £2,617 if you are living alone or £3,995 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.
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.
With this in mind, 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.
Other options
If you do not want to use an online calculator there are other options available.
For example, you can also check with a local benefits adviser to find out what you could be entitled to.
The website advicelocal.uk lets you enter your post code and informs you of your nearest adviser and how you can contact them.
For example if you enter on the website that you live in Wandsworth, London it will give you the details of the nearest support in the area.
In this instance, it was the borough’s local Age UK and Citizens Advice.
You should be aware that many organisations do not offer an open-door service.
If you are planning to contact an organisation for help or advice you might want to check their website for more information before doing so.
If you are worried about fuel payments this winter, it is worth having getting informed about all the support you could be eligible for.
The Sun recently published a guide unveiling the full list of financial worth £5,810 that you can check out.