'Pension credit payment weight off our shoulders'

An elderly couple have urged others to check if they are eligible for pension credit, after finding they were entitled to thousands of pounds extra every year.

Eddie, 77, and Maggie, 71, from Wallsend, said financial worries had left them "miserable" and afraid to heat their rented home.

They said support from charity Age UK North Tyneside helped them to successfully apply for pension credit worth about £10,000 a year.

A government spokesperson said the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) would write to 120,000 pensioners who might be eligible, inviting them to make a claim.

The couple also discovered they qualified for the winter fuel payment, after the government limited eligibility to the benefit to pension credit recipients.

Eddie said the money had "taken a weight off our shoulders".

The extra cash also enabled Maggie to buy an electric wheelchair, which she said increased her independence.

"I fly around in it," Maggie said.

She encouraged others to apply, saying it could "change your life".

About one in three pensioners who qualify for pension credit are not currently receiving it.

Lindsay Sear, of Age UK North Tyneside, said her charity had seen a "massive" rise in inquiries on the topic.

"A lot more people are eligible for pension credit than actually claim for it," Ms Sear said.

Meanwhile, Citizens Advice Gateshead's chief executive Alison Dunn said many pensioners were still not coming forward.

Ms Dunn said some felt there was a "stigma" to receiving it, and added it should be seen as an "entitlement".

The main qualification for pension credit is an income below £218 a week for individuals and £332 for couples.

But those with a higher income may still qualify if they have disabilities or caring responsibilities.

A government spokesman said it had "turned up the dial" on encouraging eligible pension credit claims, with its current campaign boosting claims by 152%.

"We are urging pensioners in the North East and beyond to see if they could receive this help worth over £3,900 a year on average by applying for pension credit."

He added the DWP would be writing to 120,000 pensioners, who are in receipt of housing benefit but not currently claiming pension credit, inviting them to make a claim.

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