DWP urges people of State Pension age to claim Pension Credit before December to qualify for an extra £324

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed it is not too late for older people to make a new claim for Pension Credit and be eligible for the second means-tested cost of living payment, worth £324.

For someone over 66 to qualify, they must have been entitled to a payment of Pension Credit on or before the qualifying date of September 25, 2022.Pension Credit is a retrospective benefit, which means it can be backdated by three months and the last date for those who can successfully backdate their claim is December 19, though DWP is urging people to get their applications in “as soon as possible”.

Even if someone is only awarded one penny they will qualify for the £324 payment being issued to over 8 million people in November.DWP explained: “People do not have to do anything extra to backdate their claim.

If they make their application online, they will automatically be asked about backdating, and if they make their application over the phone the adviser will talk them through this.”DWP continued: "The last date for those who can successfully backdate their claim is 19 December, though we urge people to get their applications in as soon as possible."The latest DWP figures indicate £1.7 billion is being left unclaimed by around 850,000 older people across the UK who are missing out on this vital ‘passport’ benefit which is worth more than £3,300 on average each year and unlocks a whole host of other discounts, including free TV licences for the over-75s.Pension Credit helps top-up a person’s income to a minimum of £182.60 per week for single pensioners and £278.70 for couples.