Martin Lewis was seen clutching his head in his hands as TV presenter Holly Willoughby said he was 'wrong'. The financial expert was speaking to ITV's This Morning about complications surrounding caller's Pension Credit claims, calling in via a video link from home in North London.
While Holly and co-star Phillip Schofield hosted the long-running ITV morning show, Martin advised callers on their money troubles, BirminghamLive reports. Reading out a submission, Holly said: "A viewer says 'I am under the weekly income threshold of under £214.60 but when I called the helpline I was told very abruptly that Martin Lewis was wrong..."
"That's a brave person," the 42-year-old mum-of-three said. She continued: "Anyway, they were told they needed to be in receipt of Attendance Allowance which they are in the process of applying for and waiting for the forms to come through."
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"I am so confused. This is about Pension Credit... what is the confusion here?" Holly concluded. Martin put his head in his hands as he said he was "unhappy"
He said: "OK. Pension Credit. That is a very, very annoying message to get. And I will explain again - there is a confusion here and I am also very unhappy to hear what the Pension Credit hotline has said."
Pension credit offers an income top-up to help with living costs to people above the state pension age and on a low income. It is separate from the State Pension, and is able to be claimed by people with additional income, savings, or their own home. The benefit tops up your income up to £201.05 if single and £306.85 if you have a partner.
The GOV website explains a recipient may get more money if they have other responsibilities and costs. The top up and extra amounts are known as 'guarantee credit'.
Additional payments may be given to those receiving other benefits, such as disabled people, carers, and people with a second pension, or housing costs.
You could get an extra £76.40 a week if you get any of the following:
- Attendance Allowance
- the middle or highest rate from the care component of Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- Armed Forces Independence Payment
- the daily living component of Adult Disability Payment (ADP) at the standard or enhanced rate
If you care for another adult, you could get an extra £42.75 a week:
- you get Carer’s Allowance
- you’ve claimed Carer’s Allowance but are not being paid because you already get another benefit paying a higher amount
If you and your partner have both claimed or are getting Carer’s Allowance, you can both get this extra amount.
If you’re responsible for children or young people you could get an extra £61.88 a week for each child or young person you’re responsible for. This is increased to £72.31 a week for the first child if they were born before 6 April 2017.
The child or young person must normally live with you and be under the age of 20.
If they’re 16 or over and under 20, they must be in (or accepted for):
- approved training, such as Foundation Apprenticeships
- a course of non-advanced education (for example, they’re studying for GCSEs or A levels)
If they’re in education, it must be for more than 12 hours a week on average.
If you get Tax Credits, you cannot get this extra amount of Pension Credit for caring for a child. But you might be eligible for Child Tax Credits. If the child or young person is disabled, you could also get an extra amount of either:
- £33.67 a week if they get DLA, PIP or ADP
- £104.86 a week if they’re blind or they get the highest rate care component of DLA or CDP, or the enhanced daily living component of PIP or ADP
If you have housing costs, you could get an extra amount to cover your housing costs, such as:
- ground rent if your property is a leasehold
- some service charges
- charges for tents and site rents
The amount you could get depends on your housing costs.
If you get Pension Credit, you could also be eligible for:
- Council Tax Reduction
- Housing Benefit if you rent the property you live in
- Support for Mortgage Interest if you own the property you live in
You could also get the ‘Savings Credit’ part of Pension Credit if both of the following apply:
- you reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016
- you saved some money for retirement, for example a personal or workplace pension
You’ll get up to £15.94 Savings Credit a week if you’re single. If you have a partner, you’ll get up to £17.84 a week. You might still get some Savings Credit even if you do not get the Guarantee Credit part of Pension Credit.
If you get Pension Credit you’ll automatically get cold weather payments. You’ll also be eligible to:
- apply for a free TV licence if you’re aged 75 or over
- get help with NHS costs if you get the Guarantee Credit part of Pension Credit
NHS costs can include things such as prescriptions, dental treatment, glasses and transport costs for hospital appointments.
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