Thousands of pensioners will not receive winter fuel payments until Christmas

Thousands of pensioners are unlikely to receive their winter fuel payments before the end of the year as the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) grapples with a growing backlog of new claims for pension credit, analysis by BBC Verify shows.

Applications for pension credit have increased since Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced in July that winter fuel payments for this year would be limited mainly to those receiving pension credit.

According to the latest official figures, there was a backlog of 90,000 unprocessed claims as of mid-November and about 9,000 were being processed each week.

With the same amount of new applications expected to arrive each week since then, there is a risk that there will still be a backlog in the thousands by the end of the year.

The DWP said it had deployed 500 extra staff to speed up processing.

Gary Jameson, in Oxford, applied for pension credit in early September, well before his 66th birthday, so he wouldn’t lose out when his disability benefits stopped. But his birthday has passed and he has not taken any decision yet.

“I’m having to transfer money from my personal savings, which aren’t very much anyway,” he told BBC Verify.

Originally he was told it would take six to 10 weeks to process his claim, “but I think with all the delays it will probably take several months,” he said.

MP is on 18th December start an investigation How changes to winter fuel payments are affecting pensioner poverty.

Before the Chancellor’s announcement on July 29, the average number of weekly applications for Pension Credit in the UK, where the government tops a pensioner’s income, was 3,800.

Since August, an average of about 9,400 people have participated in campaigns run by the government and charities to encourage people to make claims.

DWP has The figures released are showing There were almost 150,000 new applications for Pension Credit in the UK between 29 July and 17 November.

However, the Pensions Minister, Emma Reynolds, Told Parliament on December 4 That the total number of unprocessed pension credit applications at the end of the week commencing November 18 was 91,075.

Once processed not all applications are successful and do not receive pension credit – around 45% of applications processed since 29 July have been approved.

BBC Verify heard from Simon Livingston in Brighton, who told us he applied for pension credit for his mother in March and was still waiting for a decision.

And Jackie Newberry, in Hook, Hampshire, applied for pension credit for her 95-year-old mother Anna in February and was told she would get a decision by mid-March.

After several chases she was finally told that her claim had been approved in early December.

DWP shows data In the week of 18 November, the average processing time for a pension credit application was 65 working days or 13 weeks, over 9 weeks at the end of July,

The average processing time, unless accelerated, will mean that eligible people who submitted applications in November or December will have until February or March 2025 to receive their £200 to £300 winter fuel payment – ​​and backdated pension credit payments. Will not be received.

Former pensions minister Steve Webb, now a partner at pensions consultancy LCP, said: “Although they will eventually receive the amount owed once pension credits come into play, including any winter fuel payments they would have been entitled to, most Those who were on the waiting list by mid-November will have to manage Christmas and New Year on a very modest income until their claim is processed.

A government spokesperson said: “More than one million pensioners will still receive the Winter Fuel Payment, and our campaign to boost Pension Credit has seen applications more than double and more than 40,000 pensioners are now receiving it, Also receiving winter fuel payments.”

“Given the 51% increase in the number of claims approved since the Chancellor’s announcement, we have deployed additional staff to assist in the processing of applications.”

The Scottish Government has announced that every Scottish pensioner household will receive a Winter Fuel Payment from the end of 2025.

The number at risk of payment delays in the UK this year is uncertain as it depends on the rate at which DWP officials are working through the backlog.

DWP data points to a significant increase in the rate of claims processing.

In August, it was processing about 4,500 claims per week. In the first fortnight of November, it was reaching an average of around 9,000.

However, the official backlog figures are only up to mid-November. Thousands more applications are likely to come since then.

BBC Verify asked the DWP for the latest figures on the size of the backlog and average processing times and they pointed us to figures published from mid-November.

The government has set a deadline of December 21 by which eligible people can apply for pension credit in time to receive the 2024-25 winter fuel payment.

In 2022, only 63% of people eligible for pension credit Estimated by DWP It is claimed.

Following the announcement of means-testing of winter fuel payments in July, government estimates Its awareness campaign will increase the take-up rate to 68% – the equivalent of an additional 100,000 people.

However, this will still leave around 780,000 eligible pensioners who will not get the pension credit or winter fuel payment they are entitled to because they have not applied.