DWP pension boost worth £3900 sees uptake explode after Winter Fuel Payment cut

There are thought to be around 880,000 older Brits claiming their pension who are missing out on a simple cash boost that can be worth as much as £3900 every year. Called Pension Credit, this historically under-claimed Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) benefit has seen the number of claimants explode in recent weeks.

The number of people applying for the benefit, which can top-up your monthly income to a minimum level, has skyrocketed in the wake of Chancellor Rachel Reeves' decision to axe the universal Winter Fuel Payment. The £300 seasonal cash payment will now only be paid to people in receipt of Pension Credit, as the new Labour government tries to fix an inherited £22 billion "hole in the public finances."

This has caused a huge uptick in claimants for the benefit, which the DWP has struggled for years to get low-income pensioners to take up. In the five weeks after Reeves' announcement, the number of poorer pensioners applying for the benefit has more than doubled, with 38,500 new applications.

READ MORE: State pensioners could boost income by £4,000 with one call, says Martin Lewis

This represents an 115 per cent increase in potential claimants, many of whom will get weekly pension payments under £218.15 if they are single, or £332.95 for couples. This is a major turnaround for the benefit that Martin Lewis often describes as "chronically under-claimed."

The personal finance guru has urged low-paid pensioners to ring the Pension Credit helpline to see if they qualify, as even those above these thresholds can still sometimes qualify. The Money Saving Expert reassured: "You will not be told off for asking if you are due Pension Credit. If you're not due Pension Credit, they'll just tell you."

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