Thousands of Pensioners Denied Winter Fuel Payments Due to Pension Credit Eligibility Rules
Changes to winter fuel payment eligibility and a backlog in processing claims leave many retirees without crucial support during the cost-of-living crisis.
- The UK government’s decision to link winter fuel payments to pension credit eligibility has excluded millions of pensioners from receiving the benefit, saving the Treasury £1.4 billion annually.
- Over 51,000 pension credit applications were rejected between August and November 2024, with another 51,000 claims still awaiting processing, delaying access to essential winter support.
- Critics argue that means-testing the winter fuel payment disproportionately impacts low-income pensioners just above the eligibility threshold and those unaware of their entitlement to pension credit.
- A Freedom of Information request revealed that more pension credit claims were rejected than approved in 2024, with 92,000 rejections compared to 91,000 approvals from April to December.
- The Department for Work & Pensions has deployed 500 additional staff to address the backlog, but many approved claims will not receive payments until February, leaving vulnerable pensioners at risk this winter.
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The Guardian 
The Telegraph 