A woman managed to land her pensioner mother with a £4,403 cash boost after following a Martin Lewis’s Money Saving Expert tip.
Following “encouragement” from the money gurus, Annie looked into claiming the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Pension Credit benefit on behalf of her 93-year-old mum.
The benefit aims to top up low-income pensioners’ state pension to give them a more reasonable standard of living.
It’s worth an average of £3,900 a year and hundreds of thousands of pensioners are believed to be eligible for it but aren’t claiming.
After weeks of waiting for a response, Annie finally received confirmation that her mum wouldn’t just qualify for support, but also thousands of pounds worth of backpayments.
Sharing her success in last week’s Money Saving Expert (MSE) email, Annie said: “On 12 Oct, I submitted a Pension Credit query on behalf of my 93-year-old mum. I first submitted forms about 18 months ago, and never received a reply.
“Yes, she was eligible and, on 5 Nov, £4,403 of backdated credit dropped into her current account.” (sic)
Annie then thanked Money Saving Expert for the online links and encouragement, adding: “We can now await Winter Fuel help and her TV licence fee.”
The benefit provides a gateway to a number of different means of financial support, such as a free TV licence, council tax reduction, as well as the Winter Fuel Payment, which became means-tested this year.
Who is eligible for Pension Credit?
To claim, a person must live in England, Scotland or Wales and have reached the state pension age (currently 66 and over). They or their partner must also be receiving housing benefits.
If this applies, the person must then work out their total weekly income. This should include the state pension, other pensions, earnings from employment and self-employment, and most social security benefits, such as Carer’s Allowance.
Not all benefits are counted as income. For example, the following are not counted and shouldn’t be included in the calculation:
- Adult Disability Payment
- Attendance Allowance
- Christmas Bonus
- Child Benefit
- Disability Living Allowance (DLA)
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- Social fund payments, such as the Winter Fuel Allowance
- Housing Benefit
- Council Tax Reduction.
People are most likely to be eligible if their total weekly income is roughly under £220. However, if their income is higher, they might still be eligible so it’s worth checking the Government Pension Credit calculator just in case.
To apply for the benefit, people can reach the helpline by telephone on 0800 99 1234 or by textphone on 0800 169 0133. They can also apply online here.
