'This will be costly': Fears pensioners may miss out on DWP winter support over pension credit backlog

The government is taking a month and a half on average to process applications for pension credit ahead of imminent cuts to winter fuel payments, with some pensioners having to wait three months or more.  

Figures released by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) under the Freedom of Information Act show that as of mid-September, pension credit applications were taking on average 28 working days to process – just shy of six weeks, or one-and-a-half months. 

However, welfare rights advisers have told Big Issue that some clients are having to wait three months for their applications to be processed.

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From this year, winter fuel payments will mostly be restricted to pensioners in receipt of pension credit. A smaller number of pensioners claiming other benefits such as universal credit and employment and support allowance (ESA) will also remain eligible.  

The government has encouraged pensioners on low incomes to apply for pension credit in order to keep receiving means-tested winter fuel payments, which are usually paid in November or December.  

But delays to processing pension credit applications with winter looming could mean people don’t receive the money at the point when they need it.

“With the changes to the winter fuel payment, we welcome the government’s efforts to increase the uptake of pension credit,” Matt Copeland, head of policy at charity National Energy Action, told Big Issue. “It’s vital that as many eligible households as possible get access to pension credit, which then unlocks access to the winter fuel payment. 

“However, the government must also ensure that application process is smooth and quick. Delays like this will be costly to vulnerable households, especially as we enter the coldest part of the year, and will undermine the government’s own message to apply for pension credit.” 

One welfare rights adviser told Big Issue that delays of three months in processing pension credit applications are normal, with many cases going on much longer. Complex pension credit claims – those involving EU nationals, couples where one partner does not have recourse to public funds, or those with different types of capital – can be prone to delays.  

In 2022 the previous government encouraged pension credit take-up as a response to the cost of living crisis, but failed to assign enough staff to deal with the surge in demand, leading to huge delays until the DWP allocated staff to try and clear the backlog. The number of full-time equivalent DWP staffers working on pension credit rose from 190 in January 2022 to 400 in October 2022.  

The DWP’s FOI response shows that in August 2024 that figure had only risen marginally to 410 full-time equivalent members of staff, although it is not clear if that figure has risen since. Stakeholders have been told by the DWP that it takes two to three months for new staff to be fully up and running.

A government spokesperson said: “We are committed to supporting pensioners – with millions set to see their state pension rise by up to £1,700 this parliament through our commitment to the triple lock. 

“Anyone who makes a successful claim for pension credit and meets the winter fuel payment eligibility criteria will receive their payment, and we are deploying additional staff to process the expected increase in claims.  

“Over a million pensioners will still receive the winter fuel payment, and our drive to boost pension credit take up has already seen a 152% increase in claims. Many others will also benefit from the £150 warm home discount to help with energy bills over winter while our extension of the household support fund will help with the cost of food, heating and bills.”

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