Martin Lewis has urged Britons aged 66 and over to check if they can claim the Department for Work and Pension’s (DWP) Pension Credit benefit.
The benefit has a significantly low uptake, with hundreds of thousands more people estimated to be eligible but aren’t claiming.
The Money Saving Expert explained that entitlement to the benefit “triggers many other boons”, such as the Winter Fuel Payment, a free TV licence, council tax reduction, housing benefit, and more.
Mr Lewis wrote in a blog post: “It is a national tragedy that getting on for a million pensioners, many of whom have been paying into the system for years, are missing out on a critical boost to their income. It’s called Pension Credit.”
With the Winter Fuel Payment, which applies up to £300 to pensioners’ energy bills, no longer being universal, Mr Lewis said: “It’s even more important to check if you’re due it.”
Sharing his eligibility “rule of thumb”, Mr Lewis said people should check if they could qualify for the benefit if they are a single-person household with a total weekly income of £235 or less.
Those in a couple should check if they qualify if they have a combined total weekly income of £350 or less.
The benefit is worth an average of £3,900 a year and works to “top up” people’s state pensions to give them a more reasonable standard of living.
To apply and see if you’re due, Mr Lewis said: “Try www.gov.uk/pension-credit first if you can.
“If you aren’t comfortable online and prefer to speak to someone, call the Pension Credit helpline on 0800 99 1234 (N. Ireland 0808 100 6165) to see if you’re due. It’s usually open from 8am to 6pm.”
Mr Lewis added: “I’m not saying everyone will be entitled to Pension Credit; there’s huge variance depending on if you’ve savings, disabilities, and other factors. Yet at this income, it’s definitely worth spending five minutes to check – far better for more to check and not get, than more to not check when they could get.
“You can get it if you’re a homeowner, claim other benefits or live with grown up family. The worst that can happen is they say no.”
