State pensioners urged to claim free £3,900 from DWP and it 'takes 16 minutes'

James Rodger
·2-min read
State pensioners urged to claim free £3,900 from DWP and it 'takes 16 minutes'
-Credit: (Image: Reach Publishing Services Limited)


800,000 state pensioners are missing out on a £3,900 benefit from the Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ). Pension Credit acts as gateway benefit, so not only is it worth £3,900 per year on average, it means that people who are eligible may also qualify for help with housing costs such as rent and council tax as well as energy bills.

The government will continue to stand behind vulnerable households this winter, including through the £150 Warm Home Discount for low-income households from October and by extending the Household Support Fund with £1 billion to ensure local authorities can support vulnerable people and families.

Since July, an extra 42,500 pensioners are now in receipt of Pension Credit and will receive the Winter Fuel Payment. The average number of Pension Credit claims a week have more than doubled since July and it comes as the new Labour Party government continues to urge pensioners to check their eligibility and apply for pension credit.

READ MORE: State pensioners who are in couples being handed free £228 winter payment from DWP

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New figures released today show an extra 42,500 households are now in receipt of Pension Credit, and therefore the Winter Fuel Payment, since the government launched its pension credit awareness campaign. The average weekly number of Pension Credit applications have more than doubled since the Chancellor’s announcement, with 150,000 more Pension Credit applications since July.

It comes as the Department continues to urge pensioners to check their eligibility and apply for pension credit, with DWP deploying 500 extra staff to process applications as quickly as possible. It only takes 16 minutes on average to apply, and anyone who makes a successful claim for Pension Credit before 21 December will receive both backdated Pension Credit and a Winter Fuel Payment.

On 29 July 2024, the government announced that from Winter 2024, Winter Fuel Payments (WFP) will now be dependent on receiving another means tested benefit. Pension Credit is the primary benefit by which pensioners will receive the WFP. Since that time, there has been a large increase in Pension Credit applications.

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