The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed that new claims made for Pension Credit which were made between April 1 and July 3, took on average 40 days to process. This means those over State Pension age who submit an application this week, could receive financial support by the end of August.
Pension Credit is worth around £3,300 on average each year and is a ‘passport’ to other benefits including Council Tax reductions, housing and mortgage support, discounted NHS treatments and free TV Licences for the over-75s.
And it’s not too late to get extra financial help through the £650 cost of living payment. Pension Credit is a retrospective benefit which means it can be backdated three months from the date a claim is submitted, so as long as that’s done before August 24 - and is later successful - the £326 payment would be made along with arrears.
