Pensioners have 24 hours to meet crucial deadline for automatic £150 payment

Pensioners have been warned a crucial deadline for support payments this winter will pass in the next 24 hours. It relates to the Warm Home Discount scheme which saves low-income pensioners money on their energy bills.

Those who qualify will get the discount applied automatically to their bills or in the form of a voucher. But a key deadline for claiming the discount is set to pass.

One of the qualifying benefits is Pension Credit. While the qualifying date was August 11, Pension Credit claims can be backdated by three months.

READ MORE: £200 cost of living payments for households not on DWP benefits

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That means the cut-off point is Sunday, November 10 and people are being urged to act quickly. Pension Credit also makes people eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment, worth up to £300, meaning pensioners could miss out on both forms of support if not signed up.

People are being urged to help their elderly loved ones check if they can get Pension Credit. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, which administers the £150 Warm Home Discount, says households must have had an active claim for any of the following benefits on Sunday, August 11:

• Guaranteed credit element of pension credit
• Income support
• Income-based jobseeker's allowance
• Income-related employment and support allowance
• Housing benefit
• Universal Credit
• Child tax credit
• Working tax credits
• The "Savings Credit" part of pension credit

The latest figures show that around 765,000 people are eligible but have not applied, The Sun reports. It means those who want to be eligible for the discount only have hours to get themselves signed up.

The discount is not issued as a cash payment but issued directly to bills to ensure the support helps with energy bills and is not spent on something else. The Government says: "The Warm Home Discount Scheme is a one-off £150 discount off your electricity bill. If you’re eligible, your electricity supplier will apply the discount to your bill. The money is not paid to you."