The benefit that pays up to £115 a week but almost one million Brits don’t claim

ALMOST one million Brits are missing out on a benefit that pays up to £115 a week.

Pension Credit gives you extra money to help with your living costs if you’re over state pension age and on a low income.

But data from the Department for Work and Pension (DWP) last month showed that nearly one million pensioners are not claiming it – despite being eligible.

The analysis has also shown big regional discrepancies in the number of people claiming Pension Credit – with the lowest uptake in the South West.

Only 55% of eligible pensioners are claiming the support in the South West – meanwhile, the figure is 71% in the North East.

To boost take-up, the DWP, working in partnership with Age UK and Independent Age, is sending letters to thousands of pensioners it believes are eligible, urging them to claim.

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Am I eligible and how much can I get?

You must live in England, Scotland or Wales and have reached state pension age to qualify for Pension Credit.

If you have a partner, you’ll be eligible if either:

Pension credit tops up your weekly state pension income to £227.10 if you are single or to £346.60 if you have a partner.

This is known as “guarantee credit”.

If your income is lower than this, you’re likely to be eligible for the benefit.

But if your income is higher, you might still be eligible for pension credit if you have a disability, you care for someone, you have savings or you have housing costs.

You may also get extra amounts if you have other responsibilities and costs.

You could get an extra £82.90 a week if you have a disability or claim any of the following:

• Attendance allowance
• The middle or highest rate from the care component of disability living allowance (DLA)
• The daily living component of personal independence payment (PIP)
• Armed forces independence payment
• The daily living component of adult disability payment (ADP) at the standard or enhanced rate
• Pension Age Disability Payment
• the middle or highest rate of the care component of Scottish Adult Disability Living Allowance

And you could get an extra £46.40 a week if:

• you get Carer’s Allowance
• you get Carer Support Payment
• you’ve claimed Carer’s Allowance but are not being paid because you already get another benefit paying a higher amount

In addition to this, you could get the “savings credit” part of pension credit if both of the following apply:

• You reached state pension age before April 6, 2016
• You saved some money for retirement, for example, a personal or workplace pension

You’ll get up to £17.30 Savings Credit a week if you’re single. If you have a partner, you’ll get up to £19.36 a week.

How do I apply for Pension Credit?

You can start your application up to 4 months before you reach state pension age.

You can apply any time after you reach state pension age – but bear in mind that your application can only be backdated by 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.

If you have already applied for your state pension, you can apply online on the government website.

You can also apply by phone or post.

You’ll need the following information about you and your partner if you have one:

• National Insurance number
• information about any income, savings and investments you have
• information about your income, savings and investments on the date you want to backdate your application to (usually 3 months ago or the date you reached State Pension age)

You’ll also need your bank account details.

Depending on how you apply, you may also be asked for your bank or building society name, sort code and account number.

What other support is available?

If you get Pension Credit, you become eligible for a variety of other freebies and discounts.

You can apply for a free TV licence if you are 75 years or older and if you, or your partner living at the same address, receive Pension Credit.

You are also entitled to free NHS dental care if you claim Pension Credit.

Many broadband providers offer discounted social broadband tariffs for those on certain benefits, including Pension Credit.

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And if you get Pension Credit, you’ll automatically get cold weather payments.

We also have a guide on all the state pension freebies and discounts you can get.