DWP urges 400,000 older people to check if they qualify for £1,900 annual income top-up

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced a ‘day of action’ this month which will focus on encouraging around 400,000 people of State Pension age to check eligibility for a benefit worth on average around £1,900 each year in financial support and additional discounts or reductions.DWP’s ‘Pension Credit Day of Action’ will take place on Wednesday, June 15 and aims to get more older people applying for support to help them cope with the rising cost of living.Last week, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a £15 billion package of additional support to help people manage increasing energy bills and soaring inflation which includes a one-off payment of £300 for over 8 million pensioner households across the UK.All pensioner households in receipt of the Winter Fuel Payment will receive the £300 payment in November or December.He also announced a £650 one-off payment for people on means-tested benefits, which includes Pension Credit, to be paid in two instalments for eligible households in July and the autumn.This means older people who are currently receiving Pension Credit, or have started a claim which is later successful, as of Wednesday May 25, 2022, will also receive £650.If they have not yet made a claim for Pension Credit, and do it now, they may qualify for the second instalment as the next qualifying period has still to be confirmed.The UK Government said: “HMRC and DWP are due to release further guidance and the UK Government will set out the eligibility date for the second instalment, in due course.”It’s also worth noting people of any age in receipt of one of the qualifying disability benefits such as Attendance Allowance, Personal Independence Payment or Disability Living Allowance, will also receive a