DWP top-up worth nearly £4,000 for people over State Pension age

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has recently confirmed that nearly 78 per cent of all new Pension Credit claims are processed within the target timeframe of 50 working days.

This means that older people on a low income, particularly those living alone, could receive their first payment and any arrears by the end of December if they make a new claim this month.

Despite the full New State Pension now being worth £221.20 per week and the full Basic State Pension worth £169.50, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that in 2021, some 3.3 million people aged 65 years and over were living alone in England and Wales, with around 337,000 single pensioner households recorded in Scotland.

It's crucial for older people - whether they're single, married or cohabiting - to ensure they're claiming all the additional financial support they're entitled to this winter to help offset the price cap increase of 10% which came into force last month.