People who have reached the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) official retirement age of 66 can still qualify for the UK Government’s £650 cost of living support payment, if they make a claim for Pension Credit before August 18 which later turns out to be successful.
The latest DWP figures indicate £1.7 billion is being left unclaimed by around 850,000 older people across the UK who are missing out on this vital ‘passport’ benefit which is worth more than £3,300 on average each year and unlocks a whole host of other discounts, including free TV licences for the over-75s. Pension Credit helps top-up a person’s income to a minimum of £182.60 per week for single pensioners and £278.70 for couples.
However, even if you are only awarded one penny of cash support, it will still entitle you to the full £650 cost of living payment. This is because new claims for Pension Credit can be backdated up to a maximum of three months, which means a claiming before August 18 will see it fall within the qualifying period - April 26 to May 25, 2022 - for the first instalment of £326.
