Pensioners who want to keep their winter fuel allowance face a gruelling application process that involves answering hundreds of questions on baffling subjects, including if they want to claim pension credit for any children.
And delays in the system mean some applicants are left waiting up to six months before they are approved or rejected.
More than 10 million people will no longer receive up to £300 winter fuel allowance this winter unless they get pension credit, in a cruel money grab orchestrated by the Chancellor.
Around 880,000 people who are entitled to pension credit but haven’t yet applied could continue to receive their winter fuel payments if they complete the process, the Government has said.
Many pensioners are put off by the complexity of the 24-page claim form
But those who apply face a dizzying list of 243 detailed questions, that range from intrusive and difficult to answer to outright nonsensical.
Applicants are asked to bare their financial souls, divulging the most private details about their incomes and savings – and those of their partner.
Money Mail readers have told of their distress as they are forced to share their most private financial arrangements. This includes a forensic look at the details of every savings account they hold and how much they receive from workplace pensions, down to when the money reaches their account every month.
Pensioners face a list of poorly-worded questions that can appear baffling, including ‘Do you want to claim pension credit for any children or qualifying young people?’, and ‘Is the child in prison or custody pending trial or sentence?’, or ‘Is the child currently outside Great Britain?’.
Until recently, the form even asked if applicants – who must be over pension age – were ‘currently pregnant’.
Other questions require pensioners to track down specifics that can be difficult to attain and at first glance appear irrelevant to the criteria required for pension credit.
This includes questions such as ‘When the lease on your home was granted, was it more than 21 years?’, ‘Are you in hospital as an inpatient?’, ‘Is your partner in hospital?’ and the exact date both you and your partner left work.
Applicants are also asked to write personal statement- style paragraphs to justify why they think they qualify or, rather vaguely, asked to ‘tell us more about the property or land’ that they own.
Even those who work their way through the hundreds of questions to complete an application say this is not the worst part of the process.
Many then face lengthy waits to receive the money, as the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has warned them of delays due to high volumes of applications and postal delays.
Readers tell us they have been forced to wait up to six months for the vital pension cash to reach their account.
Jessica Beard says Mail readers are shocked at the level of financial detail needed in order to apply for the winter fuel payment
Those most in need will be at risk if they are left without the means to heat their homes during the icy months this winter.
Others complain of unhelpful operators working on the Government helplines and absurd security checks. In one case we spoke to a recently widowed 85-year-old who was turned away for failing a security check because she couldn’t remember the exact amount she receives in the state pension down to the last few pence. Operators refused to discuss her application further after this.
Pension credit is a benefit for those over state pension age on low incomes to help with living costs.
It tops up your income in retirement to £218.15 a week if you are single, or to a joint income of £332.95 if you have a partner.
Joanna Elson, chief executive of charity Independent Age, says: ‘Callers to our helpline tell us one of the biggest barriers to claiming pension credit is gathering all of the information they have to provide to make a claim.’
Many are also put off by the inaccessibility and length of the 24-page form, she adds.
The DWP is running a ‘pension credit week of action’ in a bid to boost take-up
and encourage pensioners to check their eligibility.But campaigners and charities warn that the complexity of the application form and the intrusive nature of the questions are putting many off. Dennis Reed, of campaigning group Silver Voices, says: ‘It’s so complicated that many older pensioners rely on their sons and daughters to help them fill it in.
‘But what if they don’t have access to family?’
‘The Government campaigns always fall flat because people don’t want to have to share all of their private details and declare their income. They don’t want to tell the world that they are poor or don’t have much in savings. It’s embarrassing. And there’s a deeply ingrained view among older generations that you should be proud and make do.’
Former pensions minister Sir Steve Webb says the questions could be made clearer on the form and echoed Mr Reed. Sir Steve, who is now a partner at consultancy LCP, says: ‘The privacy point is particularly an issue for many older people who may be private about their financial affairs and may not want to talk to a stranger about it.’
Nina Hayton, from South Petherton, Somerset, who now receives pension credit, says the form appears designed to put people off.
The 73-year-old retired farm secretary says: ‘The Government just puts obstacles in your way with all this red tape.
‘The questions demanded facts and figures that you would be unable to answer without having all the paperwork. For many the challenge is a nightmare they cannot face.’
Nina had long felt too intimidated to tackle the 24-page form on the Government website but eventually spent half a day filling it in with the help of charity Age UK. However, she then faced a four-month wait before receiving any payments until Money Mail highlighted her plight in December 2022.
There are ways to ease the process; Sir Steve recommends calling the pension credit helpline to apply rather than filling in a paper form.
This is because call centre staff can skip dozens of questions where a section doesn’t apply to you, for example, if you don’t have any child dependents or if you don’t claim any disability benefits.
You can apply for pension credit any time after you reach state pension age, currently 66, and your application can be backdated by three months. Apply online at apply-for-pension-credit.service.gov.uk/start or call the pension credit claim line on 0800 99 1234.
A DWP spokesman said: ‘To ensure pension credit is accessible for all, applications can be made online, over the phone, or via a paper application form.
‘For anyone concerned about the paper application process, we would recommend they either claim online – the service is available 24/7 every day of the year and can be completed with a friend or relative – or by telephone where the caller is guided through the claim process.’
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