DWP sending letter to 'every person' over State Pension age about free £300

DWP has confirmed every person over state pension age will receive a letter "from mid-October" explaining the new eligibility rule changes to the allowance.

The Department for Work and Pensions will be sending letters to 12 million people over the possibility of £300 Winter Fuel Payments. The DWPhas confirmed every person over state pension age will receive a letter "from mid-October" explaining the new eligibility rule changes to the allowance.

12.7 million will be issued the letter, Labour Party MP and Pensions Minister Emma Reynolds MP has said. Ms Reynolds stated: "From mid-October, all pensioners will receive a letter explaining the changes to Winter Fuel Payments this year and encouraging anyone who may be eligible to claim Pension Credit by 21 December."

The DWP Minister stated: "The Department will proceed at pace with its communication campaign to raise awareness of the changes and to promote Pension Credit. This will be followed by a Paid Partnership and national media campaign. There will then be continued marketing activity promoting the take-up of Pension Credit."

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She added: "This winter, we expect over three million households, including over one million pensioners, to benefit under the scheme." Steve Webb, a former pensions minister and now a partner at consultants LCP, says Pension Credit is a“vital gateway to other benefits such as the winter fuel payment, free TV licences for the over-75s, automatic help with electricity bills, extra money when it’s freezing and a host of other help”. This is true even if you only qualify for £1 a week in pension credit.

Joanna Elson, chief executive of the charity Independent Age, says it boosts people’s incomes by an average of almost £4,000 a year, while the other benefits it secures “can be worth up to £8,000 a year”. Webb said: “The good news is that you don’t have to work out whether or not you are entitled before you claim – they do all of that for you … if the answer is ‘no’ you haven’t really lost anything.”

“Stigma unfortunately surrounds the social security system, and many older people have expressed shame, telling us they felt like a ‘beggar’ or a ‘failure’ when asking for help,” Elson says.