Older people are having to fill out a 243-question form to access pension credit and winter fuel payments – a task that will be “daunting” for some, charities have said.
The government has launched a campaign urging eligible people to apply for pension credit after Rachel Reeves announced last month that the winter payments would be means-tested.
But some have claimed the 22-page 243-question form could put pensioners off signing up, meaning they will miss out on a vital payment as temperatures fall.
While the length of the form is typical for a means-tested benefit, the amount of information required could be difficult for some older people, charities say.
Caroline Abrahams, charity director at Age UK, told the Money blog: “The pension credit form has 243 boxes to navigate. It is not particularly long or complex as claim forms go, but completing it would still pose a challenge for many of us, including many older people with no one to help them.”
Independent Age’s chief executive Joanna Elson agreed, saying the scale of questions “can sometimes be complex, and gathering this amount of personal information can be daunting”.
She also said older people struggling financially “may be experiencing stress and anxiety which can make a long form difficult to tackle”.
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Meanwhile, anti-poverty charity Turn2us said means-tested benefits, such as disability benefits like PIP, have equally long forms.
It noted that most people who receive winter fuel payments won’t need to make a claim, and for those who do, the questionnaire won’t be as long as that needed for pension credit.
Charities have also raised concern that the government’s pension credit awareness drive is not allowing enough time to increase low take-up of the benefit.
Ms Abrahams said: “We are conscious that time is now very short with the last date for claiming pension credit in time to secure your winter fuel payment this winter being 21 December, only just over four months away.
“Expecting the current 63% take-up figure for pension credit to rise substantially in these circumstances would be very much a triumph of hope over experience.”
Ms Elson said the government must do “all it can” to remove barriers to receiving pension credit.
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A spokesperson for the Department for Work and Pensions told Money that more staff were covering a rise in calls about the benefit.
“There is no increase in pension credit processing time. We have surged additional staff to cover increasing pension credit calls and urge anyone who thinks they may be entitled to pension credit to check now,” they said.
