Last year, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) confirmed that “additional resources” have been brought in to help process new claims for Pension Credit which had reached “an all time high” following the success of a campaign to drive take-up of the benefit designed for people of State Pension age on a low income.
New claims for the ‘passport’ benefit, which is worth up to £3,500 a year in financial support and discounts, are being dealt with as quickly as possible. DWP has now said that following a surge of applications last month - some 7,200 claims in the first full week of December - claim waiting times are set to get back to normal this month.
This should mean new claims are processed within the DWP target time of six weeks. However, it’s worth pointing out that successful claims are backdated by up to three months from the point of application and paid accordingly, to ensure those who are entitled do not miss out.
