{"id":103673,"date":"2025-02-08T13:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-08T13:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/?p=103673"},"modified":"2025-02-08T22:52:54","modified_gmt":"2025-02-08T22:52:54","slug":"dwp-pensioners-claim-up-unclaimed-benefits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/dwp-pensioners-claim-up-unclaimed-benefits\/","title":{"rendered":"DWP: Thousands of Pensioners Could Claim Up to \u00a39,940 in Unclaimed Benefits"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Millions of pensioners in the UK may be entitled to financial support they are not currently claiming, according to new figures from the <strong>Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)<\/strong>. Changes to eligibility criteria and benefit upratings could mean that individuals over <strong>State Pension age<\/strong> are missing out on up to <strong>\u00a39,940 per year<\/strong> in financial aid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who Is Eligible for These Benefits?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The two main benefits in question are <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/pension-credit-unlocking-hidden-benefits\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"100784\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Pension Credit<\/a><\/strong> and <strong>Attendance Allowance<\/strong>, which provide financial assistance to older individuals on low incomes or those with long-term health conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Pension Credit<\/strong> is designed for pensioners with limited income, offering an average yearly boost of around <strong>\u00a34,200<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Attendance Allowance<\/strong> supports those with disabilities or long-term health conditions, with payments of up to <strong>\u00a35,740 per year<\/strong> starting in April 2025.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite these benefits being available, it is estimated that <strong>760,000 pensioners<\/strong> are eligible for <strong>Pension Credit<\/strong> but have not applied, while <strong>over one million people<\/strong> could qualify for <strong>Attendance Allowance<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pension Credit : Financial Support for Low-Income Pensioners<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/pension-credit-unlocking-hidden-benefits\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"100784\">Pension Credit<\/a><\/strong> ensures that pensioners&#8217; incomes reach a minimum threshold. Currently, individuals with <strong>weekly incomes below \u00a3218.15<\/strong> (or <strong>\u00a3332.95 for couples<\/strong>) may qualify. For those who reached <strong>State Pension age before April 6, 2016<\/strong>, the income thresholds are <strong>\u00a3260.68 (single) and \u00a3380.55 (couple)<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Even a small <strong>Pension Credit<\/strong> award\u2014such as <strong>\u00a31 per week<\/strong>\u2014can open doors to additional financial support, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Winter Fuel Payment<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Warm Home Discount Scheme<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Free NHS dental treatment and help with transport costs<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Housing Benefit or mortgage interest support<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>A free TV licence for those aged 75 and over<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Council Tax discounts<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>However, mixed-age couples (where one partner is of <strong>State Pension age<\/strong> and the other is younger) face different <strong>DWP<\/strong> rules, meaning they must both reach <strong>State Pension age<\/strong> before qualifying for <strong>Pension Credit<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Attendance Allowance: Extra Financial Help for Those With Health Conditions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For those over <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/state-pension-age-increase-impact-low-income\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"101389\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">State Pension age<\/a><\/strong> living with a disability or long-term health condition, <strong>Attendance Allowance<\/strong> offers additional financial support, regardless of <strong>income or savings<\/strong>. This benefit is <strong>not means-tested<\/strong> and remains <strong>tax-free<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The benefit is paid at two rates :<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>\u00a372.65 per week<\/strong> (lower rate)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>\u00a3108.55 per week<\/strong> (higher rate)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>As of April 2025, the <strong>higher rate<\/strong> will increase to <strong>\u00a35,740 per year<\/strong>, and the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/2025-buyers-gain-with-lower-mortgage-rate\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"100845\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lower rate<\/a><\/strong> will be <strong>\u00a33,842 per year<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Applicants do not need a <strong>formal carer<\/strong> to be eligible. The benefit supports individuals who struggle with <strong>daily living tasks<\/strong>, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Dressing and washing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Eating and drinking<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mobility assistance<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Safety and supervision due to cognitive or sensory impairments<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Conditions covered by <strong>DWP<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/attendance-allowance-benefits-key-changes\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"101715\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Attendance Allowanc<\/a>e include physical disabilities, chronic illnesses, <strong>mental health issues<\/strong>, and sensory impairments (such as vision or hearing loss).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Check Eligibility and Claim<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For <strong>Pension Credit<\/strong>, individuals can check eligibility using the <strong>Pension Credit calculator<\/strong> on <strong>GOV.UK<\/strong> or by calling the <strong>Pension Credit helpline (0800 99 1234, Monday\u2013Friday, 8 am\u20136 pm).<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For <strong>Attendance Allowance<\/strong>, claimants must fill out an <strong>application form<\/strong>, available from <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/pension-credit-calculator\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/pension-credit-calculator\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">GOV.UK<\/a><\/strong>. Support in completing the form is offered by <strong>Citizens Advice<\/strong> and <strong>Independent Age<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Many pensioners may not realise they are missing out on significant financial support. With recent changes from the DWP, some could be eligible for thousands of pounds in extra benefits\u2014but are they claiming what they\u2019re entitled to?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":103674,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-103673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103673"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103673\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":103691,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103673\/revisions\/103691"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/103674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}