Pensioners may miss out on winter fuel payments this year.

Tens of thousands of pensioners are unlikely to receive their winter fuel payments before the end of the year as the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) tackles a growing backlog of new claims for Pension Credit, BBC Verify analysis shows. has been

Applications for pension credit have surged since Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced in July that winter fuel payments for this year would be limited mainly to pension credit recipients.

According to the latest official figures, there was a backlog of 90,000 unprocessed claims as of mid-November, with about 9,000 being processed each week.

With potentially the same amount of new applications each week since then, there is a risk that there will be a backlog of tens of thousands by the end of the year.

The DWP said it had deployed 500 extra staff to speed up the process.

Gary Jameson in Oxford applied for Pension Credit in early September, before his 66th birthday, so he won’t lose out when his disability benefits stop. But his birthday has passed and no decision has been made yet.

“I’m having to transfer money from my personal savings, which aren’t huge anyway,” he told the BBC.

He was originally told it would take six to 10 weeks to process his claim, but I think with all the delays it will probably be months.

On December 18, there are members of parliament. Starting an inquiry How changes to winter fuel payments are affecting pensioner poverty

Before the chancellor’s announcement on July 29, the average weekly number of applications for Pension Credit in the UK, where the government tops pensioner incomes, was 3,800.

Since August, it has averaged around 9,400 following campaigns by the government and charities, encouraging people to claim.

The DWP has Showing released data. Around 150,000 new applications for Pension Credit were made in the UK between 29 July and 17 November.

However, Pensions Minister Emma Reynolds Told Parliament on December 4 That the total number of unprocessed pension credit applications for the weekend beginning November 18 was 91,075.

Not all applications, once processed, are successful and awarded pension credit – around 45% of applications processed since 29 July have been approved.

BBC Verify spoke to Simon Livingston in Brighton, who told us he applied for pension credit for his mother in March and was still waiting for a decision.

And Jackie Newberry, in Hook, Hampshire, applied for Pension Credit for her 95-year-old mother Anna in February and was told she would have a decision by mid-March.

After several chases, he was finally told that his claim had been approved in early December.

DWP displays data. that in the week of November 18, the average processing time for a pension credit application was 65 working days, or 13 weeks; Over 9 weeks at the end of July.

This average processing time, unless it is increased, will mean that eligible people who submit applications in November or December are likely to lose their £200 to £300 winter fuel payment – and Backdated pension credit payments – will not be received until February or March 2025.

Former pensions minister Steve Webb, now a partner at pensions consultants LCP, said: “They will still get arrears after pension credits are paid, including any winter fuel payments they owe. Most of those who were on it would likely have to manage the waiting list through Christmas and the New Year on a very modest income until their claim was processed.”

A Government spokesman said: “More than a million pensioners will still receive the Winter Fuel Payment, and our campaign to extend Pension Credit has seen applications more than double and more than 40,000 pensioners are now receiving it. , as well as paying for winter fuel.”

“We have deployed additional staff to support processing applications, which has increased the number of cleared claims by 51 per cent since the Chancellor’s announcement.”

Every Scottish pensioner household will receive a winter fuel payment from the end of 2025, the Scottish Government has announced.

The number at risk of payment delays in the UK this year is uncertain as it depends on the rate at which DWP officials are working through the backlog.

DWP data points to a significant increase in the rate at which claims are being processed.

In August, it was processing about 4,500 claims per week. In the first half of November, it was averaging around 9,000.

However, official backlog figures only go up to mid-November. Tens of thousands more applications are likely to come in since then.

BBC Verify asked the DWP for the latest figures on backlog sizes and average processing times and referred to figures published since mid-November. indicated.

The government has set a deadline of 21 December by which eligible people can apply for pension credit in time to receive the 2024-25 winter fuel payment.

In 2022, only 63 per cent of those eligible for pension credit Assessed by the DWP What it claims.

After announcing a review of winter fuel payment methods in July, The government took a guess Its awareness campaign will drive the take-up rate to 68% – which equates to an additional 100,000 people.

However, this will still leave around 780,000 eligible pensioners who will not be getting the pension credit or winter fuel payment they are entitled to because they have not applied.