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Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Thousands of pensioners have been urged to check whether they are receiving their pension this winter Major changes were made to winter fuel payments last month.
An estimated 800,000 retirees are not receiving means-tested benefits despite being eligible. The pension subsidy is capped at £218.15 per week for all people aged 66 and over, or £332.95 for couples.
Awareness campaign then began Rachel Reeves announced last month The government will cut the annual winter fuel payment so that only those claiming pension benefit are eligible.
The changes are the first since the benefit was introduced in 1997 and made available to all pensioners. It provides up to £300 per household to help with winter heating bills.
The chancellor said changes to the eligibility criteria for the winter fuel payment were necessary to fill a multi-billion-pound “black hole” between government spending commitments and available cash.
Launching the campaign, she said: “The dire state of the public finances we inherited from the previous Government meant we had to make some very difficult decisions.
“We remain committed to supporting pensioners, which is why we are maintaining the triple lock.
“We want retirees to get the support they deserve. That’s why I’m urging all retirees to check if they qualify for the superannuation subsidy.”
The DWP describes the pension supplement as a “passport” benefit, opening the door to more financial assistance than just a subsidy. This includes housing benefit, mortgage support, a free TV licence – and now the winter fuel benefit.
The government’s campaign is part of its annual Pension Benefit Action Week, which starts in September. The DWP said its aim was to identify households not receiving the pension benefit and tackle some of the “misunderstandings” that may be stopping people from applying.
The deadline to apply for the pension supplement retrospectively and continue to receive the winter fuel supplement is December 21. Eligible retirees You can apply on the government website.
However, there is no reduction in eligibility: if a pensioner earns £50 more than the Pension Supplement income, they will not be eligible for the benefit, and all the extra support that comes with it.
Age UK said around one million pensioners were in this situation and were unable to claim winter fuel benefits despite earning no more than £14,000. The charity for older people has launched a campaign to overturn Ms Reeves’s changes and has so far collected nearly 420,000 petition signatures.
Commenting on the DWP’s campaign, Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, said: “We are delighted that the government has launched a campaign to encourage older people to claim their pension and Age UK will support this in every way it can.
“However, frankly, we do not believe that the brief period for pensioners to ensure they qualify for the winter fuel supplement before the weather turns cold is enough to achieve the significant increase in pension supplements that is required.
“Moreover, no matter how successful the scheme is (let’s hope it is very successful), more than a million older people will still suffer real hardship from the decision to means-test the winter fuel payment because their meagre incomes are simply too high to qualify for the pension supplement. That is why we are urging the government to reconsider.”
Ms Abrahams pointed out that the pension subsidy had never been higher than two-thirds in the past decade – even with the 2015 reforms that provided free TV licences – meaning the latest campaign was unlikely to improve that figure.
She added: “However difficult the economic choices facing the government, there must be a better way than adopting this policy which we fear will push large numbers of low-income pensioners further into poverty this winter and could put their health and finances at risk.”
The Independent has a guide to all the help available to pensioners this winter
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