HUNDREDS of thousands of Brits have just days to qualify for a “lifeline” £300 cash payment as the deadline to apply quickly approaches.
An estimated 1.2million pensioners who receive pension credit are eligible for a £300 cost of living payment provided by the government.
1
Currently, an estimated 850,000 eligible pensioners have yet to claim their support payment and they have until Friday to apply.
Without making a claim eligible pensioners risk missing out on the next two cost of living payments worth £300 and £299.
Those eligible for pension credit who have not applied are also potentially missing out on other perks like a free TV licence, energy bill support and a Council tax discount.
Households should have already started receiving the second instalment of the cost of living payment worth £300.
An additional third instalment is expected to go out in Spring of 2024 but the amount has not yet been confirmed by the government.
These tax-free payments will be made automatically to those eligible.
Those eligible have until Friday, December 8 to make a claim for pension credit over the phone and until Sunday, December 10 to make a claim online or they risk losing out on the payments.
How do you qualify for the cost of living payment?
To qualify applicants must be of state pension age between 18 August 2023 and 17 September 2023.
Most read in Money
It doesn’t matter if you were only eligible for a day – as long as this day was within the qualifying period you’ll get the cost of living payment.
This will ensure that any payments can be backdated and fall within the qualifying period for the £300 cost of living payment.
Unfortunately, it’s no longer possible for these applicants to get the first £301 payment, but it’s still possible to get the next two payments worth £599.
What other support can you get if you are on Pension Credit?
As well as the cost of living payment those not on pension credit who are eligible could be missing out on a range of perks.
These include:
- Housing Benefit if you rent the property you live in
- Support for Mortgage Interest if you own the property you live in
- A Council Tax discount
- A free TV licence if you’re aged 75 or over
- Help with NHS dental treatment, glasses and transport costs for hospital appointments
- Help with your heating costs through the Warm Home Discount Scheme
- A discount on the Royal Mail redirection service if you’re moving house
Who is eligible for pension credit?
Anyone over the state pension age living in England, Scotland or Wales is eligible for pension credit.
The state pension age is currently 66 for both men and women.
To qualify, you must have a weekly income of less than £201.05 for single people or £306.85 for couples.
Your estimated income could include:
- Your state pension
- Any other pensions you have saved, for instance, workplace or private pension savings
- Most social security benefits, for example, carer’s allowance
- Any savings or investments worth over £10,000
- Earnings from a job
The calculation does not include:
- Attendance allowance
- Christmas bonus
- Disability living allowance
- Personal independence payment
- Housing benefit
- Council tax reduction
Even if your income is too high to get pension credit, you may still get some savings pension credit, so it’s worth checking.
It used to be the case that couples, where one person was over state pension age, could claim, but new rules now mean that both people in a couple must be over retirement age to apply.
This means if you’re single and move in with a partner who is younger than the state pension age, you will stop being eligible.
But if you’re already receiving pension credit under the old system it won’t stop unless your circumstances change.
How much can you get in pension credit?
There are two parts to the pension credit and pensioners can be eligible for one or both.
- Guarantee credit – tops up your weekly income to a guaranteed minimum level. This is £201.05 a week if you’re single and £306.85 a week for married couples.
- Savings credit – provides extra money if you’ve saved money towards retirement. You can get an extra £15.94 a week for a single person or £17.84 a week for a married couple.
You may also get additional pension credit if you are disabled, have caring responsibilities or have to pay certain housing costs such as mortgage interest payments.
How do I apply
You can apply for pension credit 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 will need:
- Your National Insurance number
- Information about any income, savings and investments you may 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 have a partner they will also need to provide their information as well.
How will I be paid?
Your benefits will usually be paid directly to a chosen bank account roughly every four weeks.
You will be asked to provide your bank account details when you make your claim.
Concessions are sometimes made for people who don’t have access to a bank account.
