While winter fuel payments are a hot topic right now, there are still all sorts of benefits, payments and cash handouts that people on the state pension can claim in August.
Households looking to make ends meet or just wanting to boost their finances are being urged to make sure they claim everything they can.
First, the state pension itself hands £221 a week to pensioners, or £884 a month.
On top of that, you can claim a free TV Licence, worth £14 a month. If you or someone in your house is aged over 75 and in receipt of Pension Credit, you could reduce your TV Licence bill for the year to nothing, worth £169.50 across a year or £14 per month.
Pension Credit is also a great way to boost your income per month.
If you’re single, with a total weekly income of £218 or less, or £332 in a couple, it’s worth claiming pension credit for another £75 per week (£300 per month).
Pension Credit will then make you eligible for a Council Tax reduction. This can be worth as much as the entire council tax bill, or a percentage off it.
The average property’s council tax bill in England is £131 per month, but for many will be far higher than that especially in a family home with multiple bedrooms, as council tax rates are based on the property’s value (when they were set in the early 90s).
Pension Credit can also make you entitled to Housing Benefit, which can be worth thousands per year. If you rent your house and receive any amount of guarantee credit, you can get maximum housing benefit.
There’s no set amount but this could even see your entire rental bill paid for you, worth well over £200 a month.
If you get guarantee credit as part of your Pension Credit, you can also claim free dental care. This is worth over £1,000 a year, or £80 a month.
Those claiming Pension Credit can also get some special phone and broadband deals that could knock another £20 off your bill.
Taken in total, that’s £1,629 of benefits you could be entitled to for the month of August.
