Claer Barrett explains ‘gateway benefit’ to get Winter Fuel Payment and free TV licence | Personal Finance | Finance
State pensioners are being urged to check if they qualify for the DWP’s Pension Credit benefit, which opens the door to more financial support through the Winter Fuel Payment, free TV licences, and more.
Claer Barrett, Financial Times columnist and host of the Money Clinic podcast took to ITV’s Lorraine programme today to explain what benefits are available to pensioners to help with costs this winter.
More than 700,000 more pensioners are eligible to receive the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Pension Credit benefit but haven’t made the move to claim it.
Pension Credit works to “top-up” people’s state pension to a more reasonable living standard, and is worth around £3,900 a year on average.
Claiming Pension Credit will re-grant people access to the Winter Fuel Payment, which has recently become means-tested and is worth up to £300 to go towards heating bills.
Speaking about the benefits of claiming Pension Credit, Ms Barrett told viewers: “It’s a gateway benefit. It’s not just a top-up to income, it’s all of the other things that go with it.
“It [grants access to] the Winter Fuel Payment, but also free NHS dental treatment and glasses, potentially housing benefit, a Council Tax Reduction – potentially a free TV licence when you turn over 75.
“And a lot of people in England and Wales who are on Pension Credit would also qualify for the Warm Home Discount.”
The Warm Home Discount is a £150 payment applied directly to energy bills. This support is offered to those on low incomes and can help reduce the impact of rising heating costs. If eligible, the discount is applied automatically to energy bills by participating suppliers.
The scheme re-opens in October, and payments are distributed from November and applied to people’s bills automatically in most instances. Elderly individuals will qualify for the discount if they or their partner are recipients of the Guarantee Credit portion of Pension Credit.
They may also be eligible for the support if they receive the Savings Credit portion of Pension Credit, Universal Credit or Housing Benefit.
How to apply for Pension Credit
To claim Pension Credit, 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.
People are most likely to be eligible for the benefit 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.
Explaining extra support available, Ms Barrett continued: “If you are really struggling, local councils are going to have enhanced support funds. You have to go on your local council page to find out what they have got.
“Also, if you’re on a prepayment metre, there’s another amazing charity called Fuel Bank. It’s like a food bank, but it’s for people whose prepayment metres have run out of credit.”
She added: “They’re expecting to be incredibly busy this winter because this universal help has been taken away.”
