Nearly 1.4 million pensioner households are set to receive a £301 cost of living payment from next week as part of the £900 means-tested support package to be delivered over 2023/24. More than 127,000 people on Pension Credit living in Scotland will automatically receive the money from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) directly into their bank account between April 25 and May 17, 2023.
For the 1,384,000 people over State Pension age claiming the benefit to qualify for the first lump sum of £301, they need to have been entitled to a payment - or later found to be eligible - on any day during the qualifying period between January 26, 2023 and February 25, 2023.
Guidance on GOV.UK explains that you are also eligible if you are entitled to Pension Credit for any day during this period but you do not receive a benefit payment because your entitlement is between 1 penny and 9 pence. Payments will appear on accounts as ‘DWP COLP’, along with the claimant’s National Insurance number.
£150 Disability Cost of Living Payment
Pensioners in receipt of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Adult Disability Payment, Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Attendance Allowance will also receive a one-off payment of £150 this summer as part of the Disability Cost of Living Payment. No details on a qualifying period have been released yet - find out more here.
£300 Winter Fuel Payment 2023/24
Pensioners entitled to a Winter Fuel Payment for winter 2023 to 2024, will get an extra £150 or £300 paid with their normal payment from November 2023. The full amount of Winter Fuel Payment (including the Pensioner Cost of Living Payment) you will get for winter 2023 to 2024 depends on when you were born and your circumstances during the qualifying dates.
You can get a Winter Fuel Payment of up to £600 for winter 2023 to 2024 if you were born before September 25, 1957.
You will be sent a letter in October or November telling you how much Winter Fuel Payment you’ll get if you’re eligible.
New Pension Credit claims and £301 payment
The DWP is also encouraging low-income pensioners not already getting Pension Credit to check their eligibility, as they can still qualify for the £301 cost of living payment if they make an application for Pension Credit application before May 19, 2023 which later turns out to be successful.
This is because Pension Credit is a retrospective benefit that can be backdated by up to three months, taking it to within the qualifying period (January 26 - February 25).
Who should check for Pension Credit eligibility
If you are a single pensioner with an income of less than £200 per week or a couple with less than £300 per week, you may be able to claim Pension Credit which is an annual income boost worth on average around £3,500 - it also acts as a 'gateway' benefit to other financial support including help with housing and heating costs and Council Tax Reductions.
The latest DWP figures indicate £1.7 billion is being left unclaimed by around 800,000 older people across Great Britain who are missing out on Pension Credit.
Pension Credit weekly payment rates 2023/24
Weekly payment rate from April 10:
- Single: £201.05
- Couple: £306.85
People can check their eligibility for Pension Credit using the online calculator or by calling the Pension Credit helpline on 0800 99 1234.
Below is everything you need to know about the benefit to make a claim for yourself, a family member or friend. We also have details on the handy online Pension Credit calculator which can quickly indicate if your claim may be successful and how much you might get.
What is Pension Credit?
Pension Credit currently gives 1.4 million people across the UK extra money to help with living costs if they are over State Pension age and on a low income.
Some older people think because they have savings or own their home they would not be eligible for any Pension Credit, but the DWP said hundreds of thousands could be missing out on the extra money and discounts it provides every month.
Other help if you get Pension Credit
If you qualify for Pension Credit you can also get other help, such as:
- Housing Benefit if you rent the property you live in
- Support for Mortgage Interest if you own the property you live in
- Council Tax discount
- Free TV licence if you are 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 are moving house
Mixed aged older couples and Pension Credit
In May 2019, the law changed so that a ‘mixed age couple’ - a couple where one partner is of State Pension age and the other is under it - are considered to be a ‘working age’ couple when checking entitlement to means-tested benefits.
This means they cannot claim Pension Credit or pension age Housing Benefit until they are both State Pension age. Before this DWP change, a mixed age couple could be eligible to claim the more generous State Pension age benefits when just one of them reached State Pension age.
How to use the Pension Credit calculator
To use the calculator on GOV.UK, you will need details of:
earnings, benefits and pensions
savings and investments
You’ll need the same details for your partner if you have one.
You will be presented by a series of questions with multiple choice answer options.
This includes:
- Your date of birth
- Your residential status
- Where in the UK you live
- Whether you are registered blind
- Which benefits you currently receive
- How much you receive each week for any benefits you get
- Whether someone is paid Carer’s Allowance to look after you
- How much you get each week from pensions - State Pension, private and work pensions
- Any employment earnings
- Any savings, investments or bonds you have
Once you have answered these questions, a summary screen shows your responses, allowing you to go back and change any answers before submitting. The Pension Credit calculator then displays how much benefit you could receive each week.
All you have to do then is follow the link to the application page to find out exactly what you will get from the DWP, including access to other financial support.
There’s also an option to print off the answers you give using the calculator tool to help you complete the application form quicker without having to look out the same details again. Try the Pension Credit Calculator for yourself or family member to make sure you’re receiving all the financial support you are entitled to claim.
Who cannot use the Pension Credit calculator?
You cannot use the calculator if you or your partner:
are deferring your State Pension
own more than one property
are self employed
have housing costs (such as service charges or Crown Tenant rent) which are neither mortgage repayments nor rent covered by Housing Benefit
How to make a claim
You can start your application up to four months before you reach State Pension age. You can claim any time after you reach State Pension age but your claim can only be backdated for three months.
This means you can get up to three months of Pension Credit in your first payment if you were eligible during that time.
You will need:
your National Insurance number
information about your income, savings and investments
your bank account details, if you’re applying by phone or by post
If you’re backdating your claim, you’ll need details of your income, savings and investments on the date you want your claim to start.
Apply online
You can use the online service if:
you have already claimed your State Pension
there are no children or young people included in your claim
To check your entitlement, phone the Pension Credit helpline on 0800 99 1234 or use the GOV.UK Pension Credit calculator here to find out how much you could get.
To keep up to date with the latest State Pension news, join our Money Saving Scotland Facebook page here, follow us on Twitter @Record_Money, or subscribe to our newsletter which goes out Monday to Friday - sign up here.
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