Monthly Archives: November 2021

Don’t miss out on Warm Home Discount

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Warm Home Discount would give you £140 towards your winter fuel bills. It is paid in the form of a credit on your electricity bill from your supplier (if you get both gas and electricity from the same supplier you may be able to ask for it to be transferred to your gas account).

To get it your supplier must be part of the scheme – all the larger companies have to take part but it is voluntary for smaller firms although many of them do take part.

There are 2 ways you might qualify for this:

Core Group: If on the qualifying date (this year 4th July 2021) you were getting Guarantee Pension Credit and your, or your partner’s name was on the electricity bill, you will be eligible in the core group. You shouldn’t need to claim – the DWP should write to you with the details and you should get the discount on your bill sometime between November 2021 and March 2022. If you are in this group and DWP have not written to you by December contact the Warm Home Discount Scheme helpline on 0800 731 0214 to check.

Broader Group: Most suppliers who are part of the scheme will also give this discount to customers who are on a low income and/or get some means tested benefits. The exact qualifying criteria varies from different suppliers and you do have to appy for this so if you think this applies to you, contact your supplier directly to find out if you can get it.

Most suppliers have a limited fund for this so apply as soon as you can.

What if your energy supplier fails? If you are in the Core Group and your supplier fails, you should still be paid automatically to your new energy account, If you are in the Broader Group then you would need to re-apply to your new supplier as soon as your new account is set up.

Details can be found on https://www.gov.uk/the-warm-home-discount-scheme and including a list of all energy suppliers who are part of the scheme https://www.gov.uk/the-warm-home-discount-scheme/energy-suppliers

If you want help with Warm Home Discount please contact Valerie on 07483333115 or email valerie@caringtogether.org.uk

Are You missing out on Pension Credit?

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Nearly a million households are entitled to, but not receiving pension credit  and in Leeds alone there are thought to be over 10,000 households missing out on this.

Pension Credit is extra money for people over state retirement age to top up their income.

The basic amounts to qualify are weekly income less than £177.10 for a single person and £270.30 for a couple but you may still be able to get it if your income is higher depending on your circumstances – for example there is an extra amount if you have a disability, if you care for someone, or if you have certain housing costs.  And if you reached pension age before April 2016 you may be also be able to claim savings credit.

There is NO savings limit for pension credit although savings over £10,000 will reduce the amount you can get.

You can claim if you are still working if your income is low enough for you to qualify.  It’s tax free and you don’t have to have paid NI contributions.

What counts as income includes:

  • State Pension
  • other pensions
  • earnings from employment and self-employment
  • most social security benefits, for example Carer’s Allowance

If you’re entitled to a personal or workplace pension and you have not claimed it yet, the amount you’d expect to get still counts as income.

Not all benefits are counted as income. For example, the following are not counted:

  • Attendance Allowance
  • Christmas Bonus
  • Child Benefit
  • Disability Living Allowance
  • Personal Independence Payment
  • Social fund payments like Winter Fuel Allowance
  • Housing Benefit
  • Council Tax Reduction

You could do a quick benefit calculation on https://benefits-calculator-2.turn2us.org.uk/

Pension Credit is worth claiming even if you only qualify for a very small amount, as it can entitle you to lots of other things including:  full housing benefit, reduced council tax, warm home discount, cold weather payments, free tv licence if you are over 75, help with NHS dental treatment, glasses and transport costs for hospital appointments.

Pension Credit can be claimed by phone: 0800 99 1234 or online: https://www.gov.uk/pension-credit/how-to-claim.

Or ask Caring Together if you need help.