Older people urged to contact council and energy supplier for financial help as temperatures drop
A charity is urging people over State Pension age to contact their local council and energy supplier to see if they are eligible for extra financial help ahead of a cold snap set to grip most of the UK until the middle of next week. Age UK director Caroline Abrahams said the UK Government’s decision to limit the Winter Fuel Payment to pensioners only in receipt of means-tested benefits will be put “into sharp relief” by the prolonged drop in temperatures.
Ms Abrahams said the charity had already been contacted by older people “worrying about what to do when this moment arrived”. The charity director said: “We urge older people to do everything they can to stay warm, even if that means risking spending more on their heating than they feel they can afford.”
READ MORE: Every State Pensioner in Scotland to receive at least £100 heating bill help next winter
READ MORE: Older people not due Winter Fuel Payment could get up to £200 energy bill help
She added: “The energy companies are under an obligation to help if you are struggling and there may be support available from your local council too.”
Temperatures had been expected to fall as low as minus 8Celsius in rural Scotland and northern England on Thursday night. The Met Office also forecast cold weather in parts of Wales and rural spots in southern England, with between minus 4C and minus 5C expected.
Meanwhile, fresh weather warnings have been issued by the Met Office for ice ahead of a blast of snow over the weekend.
Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said: “At the moment we’ve issued a very large snow warning for Saturday until Monday but it doesn’t mean that everywhere within that warning could see snow, it’s just a heads-up there could be some impacts.”
Heating help for State Pensioners
If you are worried about energy bills contact your local council to make sure you’re not missing out on additional financial help - they can do a benefits check for you.
The Scottish Government was given £41 million by Westminster to provide household funding support for all 32 local authorities north of the border. You can either contact your local council by phone, check their website or visit the Scottish Government's cost of living website here.
Charities like Age UK, Age UK Scotland, Independent Age, Citizens Advice and Advice Direct Scotland can also give immediate, confidential advice on where to get help with energy and money worries.
Pension Credit
It’s important to be aware this isn’t a quick solution as new claims are currently taking around 50 working days to process. This means a claim made over the next couple of weeks could be processed and any backdated payments issued by the end of March, however, a successful claim of just £1 per week is enough to unlock access to the 2025/26 Winter Fuel Payment.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) recently announced that new claims can be completed in around 16 minutes.
Who can claim Pension Credit?
There are two types of Pension Credit - Guarantee Credit and Savings Credit.
To qualify for Guarantee Pension Credit , you must be State Pension age (66). Your weekly income will need to be less than the minimum amount the UK Government says you need to live on.
This is £218.15 for a single person and £332.95 for a couple - this amount could be higher if you're disabled, a carer or have certain housing costs.
You can only get Savings Credit if:
you reached State Pension age before April 6, 2016, or you have a partner who reached State Pension age before this date and was already receiving it
you have qualifying income of at least £189.80 a week for a single person and £301.22 a week for a couple
How much could you receive from DWP?
Guarantee Credit tops up your weekly income to:
£218.15 for a single person
£332.95 for a couple (married, in a civil partnership or cohabiting)
You might be able to get more than this if you're disabled or a carer, or you have certain housing costs.
Savings Credit can give you up to:
£17.01 a week for a single person
£19.04 a week for a couple (married, in a civil partnership or cohabiting).
The exact amount you’ll get depends on your income and savings. Your income includes assumed income from savings and capital over £10,000.
How to check eligibility for Pension Credit
Older people, or friends and family, can quickly check their eligibility and get an estimate of what they may receive by using the online Pension Credit calculator on GOV.UK here.
Alternatively, pensioners can contact the Pension Credit helpline directly to make a claim on 0800 99 1234 - lines are open 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday - lines are open as normal from January 3.
Expert help and advice is also available from:
More details about claiming Pension Credit can be fond on GOV.UK here.
Other help if you get Pension Credit
If you qualify for Pension Credit you can also get other help, such as:
Housing Benefit if you rent the property you live in
Support for Mortgage Interest if you own the property you live in
Council Tax discount
Free TV licence if you are aged 75 or over
Help with NHS dental treatment, glasses and transport costs for hospital appointments
Help with your heating costs through the Warm Home Discount Scheme or Winter Fuel Payments
A discount on the Royal Mail redirection service if you are moving house
Mixed aged older couples and Pension Credit
In May 2019, the law changed so a ‘mixed age couple’ - a couple where one partner is of State Pension age and the other is under it - are considered to be a ‘working age’ couple when checking entitlement to means-tested benefits.
This means they cannot claim Pension Credit or pension age Housing Benefit until they are both State Pension age. Before this DWP change, a mixed age couple could be eligible to claim the more generous State Pension age benefits when just one of them reached State Pension age.
How to use the Pension Credit calculator
To use the calculator on GOV.UK, you will need details of:
earnings, benefits and pensions
savings and investments
You’ll need the same details for your partner if you have one. You will be presented by a series of questions with multiple choice answer options.
This includes:
Your date of birth
Your residential status
Where in the UK you live
Whether you are registered blind
Which benefits you currently receive
How much you receive each week for any benefits you get
Whether someone is paid Carer’s Allowance to look after you
How much you get each week from pensions - State Pension, private and work pensions
Any employment earnings
Any savings, investments or bonds you have
Once you have answered these questions, a summary screen shows your responses, allowing you to go back and change any answers before submitting. The Pension Credit calculator then displays how much benefit you could receive each week.
All you have to do then is follow the link to the application page to find out exactly what you will get from the DWP, including access to other financial support.
There’s also an option to print off the answers you give using the calculator tool to help you complete the application form quicker without having to look out the same details again. Try the Pension Credit Calculator for yourself or your family member to make sure you’re receiving all the financial support you are entitled to claim.
Who cannot use the Pension Credit calculator?
You cannot use the calculator if you or your partner:
are deferring your State Pension
own more than one property
are self employed
have housing costs (such as service charges or Crown Tenant rent) which are neither mortgage repayments nor rent covered by Housing Benefit
How to make a claim
You can start your application up to four months before you reach State Pension age. You can claim any time after you reach State Pension age but your claim can only be backdated for three months.
This means you can get up to three months of Pension Credit in your first payment if you were eligible during that time.
You will need:
your National Insurance number
information about your income, savings and investments
your bank account details, if you’re applying by phone or by post
If you’re backdating your claim, you’ll need details of your income, savings and investments on the date you want your claim to start.
Apply online
You can use the online service if:
you have already claimed your State Pension
there are no children or young people included in your claim
To check your entitlement, phone the Pension Credit helpline on 0800 99 1234 or use the GOV.UK Pension Credit calculator here to find out how much you could get.
