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Pension Credit Processing Delays
Resurrecting this old thread following a conversation with a client yesterday. We helped her with a claim for Pension Credit in early December 2023. She has not heard back yet so she phoned the helpline on Monday. She was told that because she has savings her application has not yet been processed as they are prioritising applications from people who do not have savings. They also told her that it could take up to a year to process her application.
Has anyone else heard this? We have been advising client’s it will take around 6 weeks to process their claims as that is the timescale currently given when we submit an application.
Hi Anna, we’re still coming across some delays but we’ve not heard about stockpiling claims or claims taking more than a year to process as standard.
If you get in touch with the Age UK Email Enquiry Service, we might be able to assist, so please do drop us a line.
We are also getting people coming to us saying they applied for PC around early December and yet to hear anything so does appear to be long delays again in getting decisions.
When we contacted Pension Service about Anne’s case above, they replied by saying:
”...…if a customer can verify their capital / savings then the claim will be processed in the normal way. Claims are worked on in date order, however some claims will always be processed quicker than others due to simplicity of some and complexity of others. It depends on each individual customer circumstances. “
We claimed PC with a client on 27/11/23 and by 01/02/24 had not heard anything, so we chased it. We had the initial nonsense about not being able to speak to us - it transpired the client needed to complete a HRT, which is fine. However this was never notified to client, we had to point out that we perhaps a client is more likely to complete the HRT if they are notified of this, on checking the DM had referred for HRT on 10/01/24 and so had sat there for close to 7 weeks…..Assisted cl to complete HRT on phone and was told it will be approx 9 weeks for a decision to be made..
I’m also seeing delays again. I rang Pension Credit this week and was told the ‘backlog’ was 12 weeks. My client has been waiting 18 - her ESA ended mid-November. The official tried to transfer the call to someone who might help, but warned we’d have a long wait for an answer, and that if we were cut off we’d have to start again by phoning Pension Credit. The line went very dead. We’ve written to the MP. I thought all this was meant to have been “sorted”...
Our jobcentre vulnerable client liaison officer contacted PC internally on behalf of my client who needed child elements on PC. Client had applied in November for PC as UC ended 19/12 - and had not heard anything by 19/3/24, despite a promise of a call back 6/3/24. With that additional kick it was sorted in 2 days and backdated child element paid. Useful for anyone who is extra vulnerable.