Millions of Brits missing out on pension top-up payments worth up to £9,000 a year – check if you’re eligible

NEARLY 2million people could be missing out on pension top-up payments worth up to £9,000 a year.

Each year billions of pounds worth of benefits go unclaimed - including help for those already claiming the state pension.

It's estimated that 850,000 people are missing out on pension credit, worth £1.8billion in total according to research from Policy in Practice.

Around 1.1million people are missing out on £5.2billion worth of Attendance Allowance too.

Pension credit tops up your weekly income to £218.15 if you’re single or your joint weekly income to £332.95 if you have a partner.

It's worth around £3,900 a year, on average, and unlocks many other perks, such as council tax reductions and help with energy costs.

There are other bonuses available too, such as cold weather payments, free NHS dental treatment and a free TV licence.

Meanwhile, Attendance Allowance can provide additional financial support of up to £434 each month, around £5,644 each year, for those with a long-term health condition or disability.

This means that those available for both Attendance Allowance and Pension credit could receive as much as £9,544.

What is pension credit and how do I apply?

Pension credit is available to people over the State Pension age, currently 66, who live in England,  or Wales.

To qualify, you need to have a weekly income of less than £218.15 if you are single and £332.95 if you are in a couple.

Your income is worked out taking into account various elements, including state pension, other pensions, any earnings from work some benefits like carer's allowance.

It's worth noting that the calculation does not include:

• Attendance allowance
• Christmas bonus
• Disability living allowance
• Personal independence payment
• Housing benefit
• Council tax reduction

How much can I get?

There are two parts to the benefit and pensioners can be eligible for one or both parts - here are the current rates for the tax year:

• Guarantee credit - tops up your weekly income to a guaranteed minimum level. This is £218.15 a week if you're single and £332.95 a week for married couples.
• Savings credit - provides extra money if you've saved money towards retirement. You can get an extra £17.01 a week for a single person or £19.04 a week for a married couple.

You can also get additional pension credit if you have a disability, caring responsibilities or have to pay certain housing costs such as mortgage interest payments.

As an example, you can get either £66.29 a week or £76.79 a week for each child you're responsible for.

You can start your application up to four months before you reach state pension age.

Applications for pension credit can be made on the government website or by ringing the pension credit claim line on 0800 99 1234.

You can get a friend or family member to ring for you, but you'll need to be with them when they do.

You'll need the following information about you and your partner if you have one:

• National Insurance number
• Information about any income, savings and investments you have
• Information about your income, savings and investments on the date you want to backdate your application to (usually three months ago or the date you reached state pension age)

If you claim after you reach pension age, you can backdate your claim for up to three months.

What is attendance allowance and how do I apply?

Attendance allowance helps with extra costs if you have a severe disability that requires someone to help look after you.

It's paid at two different rates and how much you get depends on the level of care that you need because of your disability.

You can get attendance allowance as long as you've reached state pension age (66) and the following applies:

• You have a physical or mental disability or both
• Your disability is severe enough for you to need help caring for yourself
• You have needed that help for at least six months (unless you’re terminally ill)

There are 56 categories of medical conditions you can claim with, including heart disease, Parkinson's disease and diabetes.