State pensioners ‘missing up to £13k a year’ – how to claim | Personal Finance | Finance
Millions of state pensioners are missing out on benefits, research shows (Image: Getty)
Some 2.5 million pensioners miss out on benefits of up to £13,000, a new report has found. Research from the company Public First and charity Independent Age shows 280,000 pensioners would be lifted out of poverty if they claimed all the benefits they are entitled to.
This can include pension credit, housing benefit or council tax benefit. The charity says many pensioners are not aware they qualify for help or are unsure how to claim it or are deterred by an onerous application procedure. Only 62% of eligible people receive pension credit. As a result, some 1.2 million miss out on help, totalling £2.5billion, according to the research.
About £1.1bn in housing benefit which would go to roughly 230,000 pensioners is also going unclaimed.
Researchers also found that more than one million pensioner households may be missing out on council tax reduction benefit.
Over the course of a year, pension credit can add up to £3,900; housing benefit up to £6,760 and council tax benefit can slash bills to zero in some cases.
The average council tax bill for a Band D property in the UK this tax-year is £2,392, according to the Government. Added together, those totals amount to just over £13,000.
Joanna Elson, chief executive of Independent Age, said: “Money that has been set aside is not reaching the older people who need it and at a time with increasing costs, the impact of this is devastating.”
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
A Government spokesperson said supporting pensioners is a priority and ministers have committed to the triple lock pension guarantee for the rest of this parliament.
They said a pension credit take up campaign led to an extra 33,500 of pension credit awards last year. Applying for this benefit can be done up to four months before reaching state pension age.
You need a National Insurance number, details of any income, investments or savings and you bank account information.
An application can be submitted online at the gov.uk website or by phone on 0800 99 1234 or by post, using a form downloadable from gov.uk.
Housing benefit is being replaced by Universal Credit so most people will beed to apply for that.
A single person at or above state pension age can claim housing benefit. If you are at or over state pension age and live with a partner, you can apply if both of you are at that age or one of you is and claimed pension credit as a couple before May 15, 2019.
People over state pension age with partners can also submit a claim if they live in sheltered or temporary accommodation.
You can apply for it via your local council or as part of a pension credit claim, if you are eligible for this benefit.
To apply for a council tax reduction, you should contact your local authority. You will need to share ID as well as National Insurance, earnings, benefits and bank account details for you and your partner.
Those who receive Universal Credit will need their monthly statement too.
Applications can be made online via your council’s website or by post. The right address should be on your council’s website.
