A tip from money expert Martin Lewis has left one fan with a 'life changing' payment of £1,500. It comes after Jackie made a claim for Pension Credit following the Money Saving Expert's advice.
She was awarded with an upfront payment of £1,500 and an extra payment of £185 every two weeks. The credit is set to top up incomes for people over retirement age.
LancsLive reports that Pension Credit also offers claimants extra help. There can be council tax discounts, housing benefits, free health costs and a free TV license for over 75s.
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However, it isn't an automatic payment and you have to apply for it. About 850,000 people are missing out on the benefit, the latest figures from the Government revealed.
Writing in the latest MSE email, reader Jackie said: "After hearing Martin talk about pension credit I wondered if I could qualify. I applied and was awarded a £1,500 lump sum and now get an extra £185 every two weeks.
"This has changed my life. No one tells you this is available and only thanks to your team am I now getting it."
What is Pension Credit?
It comes in two parts and depending on your circumstances, you could be entitled to one or both parts. The Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit tops up your weekly income to:
- £182.60 if you’re single
- £278.70 if you have a partner
If you reached State Pension age before April 6, 2016, you may be eligible for the Savings Credit element of Pension Credit. You could get up to:
- £14.48 if you're single
- £16.20 if you're a couple
You could be eligible for extra money if you have other responsibilities like high rent, a disability or you care for someone. As an example, you can get an extra £69.40 a week if you claim certain disability benefits or an extra £38.85 a week if you receive Carer's Allowance.
If you’re responsible for children or young people, you could get an extra £56.35 a week for each person in your care. This is increased to £66.85 a week for the first child if they were born before April 6, 2017.
If the child or young person is disabled, you could also get an extra amount of £30.58 to £95.48 a week if they get certain benefits. You can view all the additional top-ups and their rates on the Gov.uk website.
How to make a claim
Anyone can check if they are eligible by using the Pension Credit calculator on the Gov.uk website. If you prefer to speak to someone you can call the Pension Service Helpline on 0800 99 1234 in England, Wales or Scotland.
The application process can be started up to four months before you reach state pension age and if you've already reached that age, you can have the claim backdated by three months.
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