THOUSANDS of pensioners are being warned not to ignore a letter from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), which could see them stop receiving their state pension.
Thousands of pensioners get paid their state pension from the DWP into Post Office accounts, but they have just months left to make other arrangements.
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Payments will not be made into Post Office accounts from November 30 and anyone who doesn’t make other arrangements could see their payments stop.
The cash will be held for them until they do organise another payment method, but it could leave thousands of people on the brink financially.
The change also affects people receiving Universal Credit payments.
It comes after tax credits and child benefit payments made into Post Office card accounts were stopped as of April 5.
A statement on the Post Office website says: “DWP and HMRC are writing to Post Office customers to inform you of your options in the future.
“Please do not ignore the letters. The information within them informs all Post Office customers of their options.”
An estimated 780,000 people use a Post Office card account, which can be used to withdraw funds with no fees or charges.
The Post Office card account is a service linked to the DWP that lets you receive your state pension, Universal Credit or other benefit payments.
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It was introduced in 2003 to replace the old state pension “order books”.
The service already closed for new benefit claimants, and now existing claimants will have to move accounts too.
Pensioners will soon receive another reminder letter, and are being urged not to ignore it.
On its website, the Post Office said: “Please do not ignore the letters. The information within them informs all Post Office customers of their options.”
What do I need to do now?
To make sure you continue to receive your payments you need to tell DWP your new account details.
If you already have a bank or building society account, you can request that payments are made into that.
Alternatively, a basic bank account is designed for people who don’t qualify for a bank’s current standard account – for example, if they have a poor credit history.
The date you get paid and the amount you get will not change – just the way you get paid.
If you’re closing your Post Office account, you should be sure to withdraw any money in it first.
The Department for Work and Pensions was approached for a comment.
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