The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) recently confirmed that new claims for Pension Credit made between April 1 and July 3, took an average of 40 days to process. This means those over State Pension age who submit an application this week, could receive financial support by mid-October.
To help even more people aged over 66 access support worth around £3,300 on average each year, DWP has introduced a new interactive Pension Credit claim form which can be completed online, downloaded and posted to the Pension Service. This could be useful for those who cannot claim the benefit online or over the phone as progress on the 24-page application form can be saved and completed at a later time - find out more about this here.
A successful claim for Pension Credit acts as a ‘passport’ to other financial support including Council Tax reductions, help with housing and mortgage payments, discounted NHS treatments and free TV Licences for the over-75s.
