pension credit help with heating

yewtree_01

Hi i'm expecting to receive pension credit. Would i be better off waiting until after age 65(retirement ) to apply for help with new central heating or apply now. I'm 64 now. thanks

hugheskevi

What type of help were you thinking of applying for?

Warm Front would be the most obvious choice

http://www.warmfront.co.uk/

It sounds like you wouldn't meet eligibility criteria at the moment?

But I have heard (only anecdotally so may well be wrong) that getting Warm Front sorted takes time and is rather bureaucratic. Bear things like that in mind, using grant schemes and such like will always be more red tape than funding it all yourself.

yewtree_01

HI My husband has just been made redundant with less than 10 months before retirement date. We have been told to apply for pension credit instead of Job Seekers Allowance. Our central heating is over 20 years old and i know you can get grants to help with replacement. I have heard dubious things about warmfront so would get help elsewhere maybe gas board. cheers

hugheskevi

I fear you won't get many answers to this on the pensions board - I'd post it elsewhere as well, perhaps in Benefits and Tax Credits forum.

The only other thing I am aware of that may be relevant is the Boiler Scrappage scheme that was announced fairly recently, although I don't have much knowledge in this area.

If you and your husband are eligible for Pension Credit, then whether you apply now or wait until 65 should make little difference, as most schemes are linked to receipt of Pension Credit rather than age.

Good luck...and I hope someone proves my fears wrong and can answer your post here

yewtree_01

hi thanks for your help. You're probably right i should try Benefits and tax crdits too. I'll do that. thanks again yvonne

st999

Apply for everything you think you are entitled too even if you are not sure.

I phoned the pension service about something and the person asked why I was not getting pension credit. I didn't think I was elegible was my reply.

She said if you don't apply how do you know your not entitled so she asked a few questions.

So now I get pension credits, council tax benefit because of the pension credit and also 2 cold weather payments that I never claimed for because I thought I wasn't entiled to.

And I even got a refund of some of last years council tax that I had paid.

Phone up and ask. They can only say no.

Stan

yewtree_01

Hi thanks for advice i suppose the saying is true ... if you don't ask.... you don't get. cheers

margaretclare

I am a great believer in the two maxims 'if you don't ask you don't get' and 'they can only say no'. I've heard so many people say 'oh I didn't think I could get it because....(add your own excuse)'. It's the cost of a phone call and a few minutes of your time!

st999

And if you phone the pension credit it doesn't even cost for the call, at least from a land line

Stan

sleepless_saver

st999 wrote: »

And if you phone the pension credit it doesn't even cost for the call, at least from a land line

Stan

Now it doesn't cost from most mobiles either.