 and on a low income. The benefit tops up their weekly income to a minimum of £201.05 for single pensioners and £306.85 for couples. Pension Credit is hugely under-claimed, with the latest government figures showing almost a million eligible pensioners are missing out on around £1.7billion. You must apply for it yourself by filling out a lengthy form either online, over the phone or by post - the postal form is 24 pages long - and many pensioners aren't aware it exists. To determine eligibility, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) asks claimants for a number of details about their finances including their state pension and any other workplace or private pension savings they have. If it later finds any of the details were wrong, it can demand any overpaid money back years later - that's despite pensioners only being able to backdate a claim three months, even if they have been eligible for longer. In March 2017, Robert, from Porthcawl in South Wales, was struggling to manage his bills when an article about Pension Credit in the newspaper caught his eye. The 75-year-old wasn't sure whether he should get it, but decided to apply and let the DWP determine whether he was eligible. So, he was thrilled when it confirmed in May 2017 that he was entitled to the benefit and his income would start being topped up. But Robert's world came crashing down a few weeks ago when he received a letter from the DWP demanding he repay £22,096 after it discovered an error in his details. The government department sai){kind=link}
EXPERTS are urging those applying for Pension Credit to double check their details after one pensioner was hit with a huge £22,000 bill.
Robert Vincent will be paying money back well into his 80s after an error on his application in 2017 was only spotted this year.
Pension Credit is a benefit which aims to help with living costs for those over state pension age (currently 66) and on a low income.
The benefit tops up their weekly income to a minimum of £201.05 for single pensioners and £306.85 for couples.
Pension Credit is hugely under-claimed, with the latest government figures showing almost a million eligible pensioners are missing out on around £1.7billion.