State pensioners urged to act before 11:59pm tonight or lose £300 each

State pensioners who fail to take action on Saturday risk losing hundreds. State pensioners have been urged to act on Saturday, December 21, or risk losing as much as £300 due to a Winter Fuel Payment deadline ending today.

The cut-off for making a claim for pension credit to qualify for the 2024/25 winter fuel payment falls on December 21. The deadline for online applications is 11.59pm on December 21, the Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ) has said.

The Labour Party government estimates that 760,000 pensioner households are eligible for pension credit but do not claim it. A Government spokesperson said: “Over one million pensioners will still receive the winter fuel payment, and our drive to boost pension credit take-up has seen applications more than double with over 40,000 more pensioners now receiving it, as well as the winter fuel payment.

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“We continue to urge anyone who thinks they may be entitled to pension credit to check now, as all eligible claims can be backdated, and anyone who makes a successful claim before December 21 will receive their payment.”

Pension credit gives pensioners on low incomes a top-up, as well as being a gateway to other help with costs. Jon Greer, head of retirement policy at Quilter, said: “It is vitally important that pensioners on low incomes check their eligibility.”

Pension credit tops up weekly incomes to £218.15 for a single pensioner or £332.95 for a joint weekly income for those with a partner. Tom Selby, director of public policy at AJ Bell, said earlier this week: “Even a claim for a small amount of pension credit top-up during the ‘qualifying week’ of September 16 to 22 should trigger a winter fuel payment worth up to £300.

“Because of the way the backdating rules work, the deadline for making a claim for this period is… on December 21.”