Applications for pension credit – allowing low-income pensioners to also receive winter fuel payments – have seen a sharp rise since the government announced cost-cutting plans.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has withdrawn the fuel payments from 10 million pensioners, to help cover what she called a £22bn black hole in the public finances.
The decision announced in July has led to 150,000 applications for pension credit being submitted since, according to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
But only 42,500 have been successful, with thousands being rejected and others awaiting a decision.
Most people will be eligible for the new, means-tested winter fuel payment only if they have registered first to receive pension credit.
Some 150,000 applications for pension credit have been submitted in the 16 weeks since July 29, when the chancellor made her announcement.
That was a 145% increase compared with the previous 16 weeks. However, the number of people being awarded pension credit has only increased by 17% over the same period.
The high number of rejections could be people failing to meet the criteria, or failing to submit the 24-page, 223-question form properly.
