Pensioners in Scotland urged to claim winter heating help of up to £300 this month
Pensioners in Scotland are being urged not to miss out on up to £300 help with their winter energy bills as a key application deadline is just days away. Advice Direct Scotland, which runs the national advice service advice.scot, is reminding households they have until Saturday, December 21 to apply for Pension Credit, which will unlock access to a backdated Pension Age Winter Heating Payment.
The Pension Age Winter Heating Payment, which replaces the Winter Fuel Payment in Scotland, provides £200 to qualifying households, increasing to £300 if someone in the household is aged 80 or over. Successful Pension Credit claims can be backdated for up to three months, provided the applicant was eligible during that period.
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The latest Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) figures indicate as many as 760,000 eligible individuals across the UK may be missing out. Advice Direct Scotland is encouraging families to check in with older relatives to ensure they are aware of their entitlement to the means-tested benefit which is now worth £4,200 a year on average.
To be eligible for the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment this year, claimants must have been born before September 23, 1958, and be in receipt of Pension Credit or another means-tested benefit during the qualifying week’, which this year fell between September 16 and 22.
The DWP is administering the payments this winter, with those eligible expected to receive them automatically. People who have recently reached State Pension age are encouraged to check their eligibility with the DWP before December 21.
Anyone who requires further guidance can contact Advice Direct Scotland by phone on 0808 800 9060 or online via www.advice.scot.
The charity’s staff can provide free advice on the support available and ensure households are claiming all the benefits they are entitled to.
Conor Forbes, policy director at Advice Direct Scotland, said: “With the cost of living crisis and further energy price rises on the horizon, it’s more important than ever for people to claim everything they’re entitled to. We urge Scots to check their eligibility for Pension Credit and apply for support.”
Some older people think because they have savings or own their home they would not be eligible for the means-tested benefit, which can also provide access to help with housing costs, heating bills and Council Tax.
An award of just £1 per week is enough to unlock other support. Below is an overview of the benefit including who should check eligibility, how to go about it, how much you could get and where to get help filling in the form.
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.
Expert help and advice is also available from:
More details about claiming Pension Credit can be found 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.
