State pensioners could be getting hundreds of pounds a month after starting to claim benefits they weren’t previously getting. Low-income pensioners who aren’t receiving benefits such as Pension Credit are being advised to check their eligibility.
Checking is even more important this Winter as Pension Credit is a qualifying benefit for Winter Fuel Payments, which are worth up to £300, after they were made means-tested. Wolverhampton City Council has now revealed 900 pensioners had been identified for payments they weren’t previously getting, worth £175 per week on average, as reported by BirminghamLive.
It could make a huge difference to how these residents are able to manage their finances this Winter. It comes amid a national campaign to encourage as many people to claim Pension Credit as possible, following the cuts to Winter Fuel Payments.
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Housing Benefit and Attendance Allowance are among other payments people have come forward to claim. The cut to Winter Fuel Payments for all but the poorest pensioners comes as energy bills are about to rise in October.
Council leader Stephen Simkins said: “We’re ahead of the game on this and have already been working on helping people apply for any benefits they might be missing out on since August last year. We will do all we can to help people, as we have throughout the cost of living crisis, and we will not leave anyone behind.”
“We identified 900 pensioners who are eligible, but not claiming Pension Credit at the start of this project and to date 770 completed forms have been received, representing 754 households. I’m happy to say the success rate of claims for those identified as eligible following an assessment is 90 per cent and 324 households are now in receipt of pension credit and other associated benefits including Attendance Allowance and Housing Benefit because of our campaign.”
“The average increase in income per household is £175 per week, with the total benefit gain to those 324 households being £44,321 with lump sum back payments totalling £139,439 and an annual benefit gain of £1.5 million. So, it’s well worth checking if you’re eligible and applying and we are here to help with a dedicated team. So don’t delay contact us today.”