Christmas drive to promote pension credit
The Government has launched a Christmas drive to encourage those pensioners who have not signed up for the pension tax credit to get their applications forms in.
Though the Government has trumpeted the success of the scheme designed to help the poorest of pensioners, it has been hampered by a low sign up rate.
Hundreds of thousands of pensioners are not claiming the benefits they are entitled too, through a mixture of ignorance, confusion with the complexity of the system and a reluctance to claim means-tested benefits.
The pension credit guarantees everyone aged 60 or over a minimum income of £105.45 a week for single people and £160.95 for couples. The figures are slightly higher for those over 65. Other benefits, such as council tax benefit, do not count towards income so the actual financial boost can be higher.
Though pensioners’ groups like Age Concern argue that extra funding should be diverted into increasing the basic state pension, in the mean time they are urging older people to claim all the money to which they are entitled.
Speaking today, Pensions Minister Malcolm Wicks stressed that successful applications for pension credit can not be backdated for 12 months, and that there will be no negative effect on benefits already being received.
Mr Wicks said: “Since it started, Pension Credit has provided desperately needed cash to over three million pensioners across Great Britain, but there are still some pensioners not claiming.
“Many pensioners think they are not eligible for a variety reasons, but you can still get Pension Credit if you live with your family, receive financial support from them, receive housing benefit or own your own home.”
The average backdated payment is £1000, he added.
A Pension Credit calculator is available on the Pension Service website where people can get an estimate of a possible award at: www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/pensioncredit/calculator/home.asp
