Pension Credit<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe charity said: “The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has started contacting some Pension Credit customers as part of routine case reviews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“These reviews are being carried out to make sure people are receiving the correct amount of Pension Credit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“If you are selected for a review, the DWP may ask you to provide some additional information, such as recent bank statements. Being selected for a review does not mean you have done anything wrong.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Age UK added that claimants would receive an explanation if a review changes their award.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“If the review results in a change to your Pension Credit award, the DWP will explain what has changed and what you need to do next. They have said they will treat customers fairly and sensitively throughout the process.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The charity also advised people who need assistance to contact the DWP directly on 0800 731 0469<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nPension Credit Rules And The Reason Behind The Checks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Pension Credit<\/strong> is a means-tested benefit for people above state pension age<\/strong> who have a low income. Around 1.4 million households<\/strong> currently receive the support.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe review follows a wider examination of the scheme launched by former chancellor Rachel Reeves<\/strong>. The review is expected to contribute to savings of around \u00a3370 million<\/strong> from the wider welfare budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFormer pensions minister Sir Steve Webb<\/strong>, now a partner at LCP<\/strong>, said benefit recipients are required to report changes in circumstances, including changes to savings.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHe said some people may not realise they need to update the DWP, meaning information held by the department can become outdated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sir Steve Webb also said large-scale reviews can create concerns among the public, with some people viewing requests for financial information as intrusive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DWP Says Reviews Do Not Mean Claimants Have Done Anything Wrong<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The DWP<\/strong> and Age UK<\/strong> have both stated that being selected for a review does not indicate wrongdoing.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAge UK said: “If you have questions or need support, you can contact the DWP directly on 0800 731 0469.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“If you are unsure about a request for information or need help understanding your Pension Credit, support is available.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The DWP\u2019s review process is currently focused on selected Pension Credit customers<\/strong>, with some claimants being asked to provide recent bank statements as part of the checks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Some Pension Credit claimants are being contacted by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) as part of routine reviews designed to check whether benefit payments match their current circumstances, with some retirees asked to provide additional information such as recent bank statements.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":114604,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-125877","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","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\/125877","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\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=125877"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125877\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":125880,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125877\/revisions\/125880"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/114604"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=125877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=125877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=125877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}