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British Gas Energy Trust encourages thousands of eligible pensioners to claim pension credit ahead of September

Over 850,000 older people are not claiming Pension Credit they are eligible for [1].

Pension Credit is worth an average of £3,900 a year [2] and opens the door to other financial support such as Housing Benefit, Warm Home Discount and Winter Fuel Payments.

Winter Fuel Payments are between £100 and £300 and paid to people in England and Wales who have reached State Pension age before September 23, 2024. Alongside other eligibility criteria, they must also be in receipt of one of the following:

The qualifying week in 2024 for Winter Fuel Payments will be from 16 to 22 September, meaning you must be claiming Pension Credit, or one other of the above-mentioned benefits, before this date. 21 December is the last date for making a backdated claim for Pension Credit.

You can check if you are eligible by using the government’s Pension Credit calculator.

Applications for Pension Credit can be made on the GOV website or over the phone by calling 0800 99 1234 (Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm).

Access the Trusts Better Off Calculator on our website to see if there are other benefits or support schemes you may be entitled to.

 

[1] Media centre – Policy in Practice

[2] Pensioners urged to claim help as winter fuel payments cut – BBC News