A startling one million UK homes are failing to avail themselves of a weekly £65 payment, reports the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). The DWP suggests that some older individuals might assume their savings or property ownership renders them ineligible for Pension Credit.
To clarify who can claim this benefit worth over £3,000 per year the department has released two explanatory videos on YouTube. One is aimed at potential claimants whilst the other targets their family members, , reports Wales Online.
Minister of the DWP, Laura Trott, shared her ambitions to increase uptake of the benefit with the House of Commons. However, she conceded: “It is difficult to enrol people automatically on Pension Credit given the data the Government holds. I am, however, keen to see how increased data sharing could be used to produce a larger number of claims.”
Those who have attained State Pension age qualify for an income top-up to a minimum of:.
Moreover, if they are over 65 and reached their State Pension Age before April 6, 2016, they may still be eligible for Pension Credit if their weekly income falls below:.
You can kick-start your application up to four months prior to reaching State Pension age. You’re allowed to claim any time after you reach State Pension age, but your claim can only be backdated for three months.
This means that you can receive up to three months of Pension Credit in your initial payment if you were eligible during that period.
You will require:.
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your National Insurance number.
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details about your income, savings and investments.
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your bank account details, if you’re applying via phone or by post.
If you’re backdating your claim, you’ll need specifics of your income, savings and investments on the date you want your claim to commence.
Apply online.
You can utilise the online service if:.
To verify your entitlement, ring the Pension Credit helpline on 0800 99 1234 or use the GOV. UK Pension Credit calculator here to discover how much you could receive.
You can learn more about Pension Credit on GOV. UK here.
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