Money-saving maestro Martin Lewis has issued a stark warning to those born before 1958, highlighting that they might be missing out on a substantial £3,800. The financial whizz is on a mission to alert individuals of state pension age about the Attendance Allowance they could be entitled to from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
With over one million potentially in the dark about this benefit, the familiar face from BBC and ITV has emphasised how “massively underclaimed” AA really is. Astonishingly, analysis of 2023 data by Policy in Practice indicates that approximately 1.1 million eligible seniors are foregoing the extra cash.
Delving into the specifics, Mr Lewis advised: “So whether it’s you, or someone you know who may qualify, take two minutes to read this. Last week, Andrea sent us this email.”
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She revealed: “I never thought I’d qualify [for Attendance Allowance], but I do. I got £1,260 backdated and £290 every four weeks. Thanks for all your work”. Not to be outdone, another recipient named Christine shared her joy: “Applied for Attendance Allowance for my husband and today the first payment was made (even before a letter arrived telling us! ). He’s entitled to the upper limit, which is even more than we could’ve hoped for.”
Christine didn’t just secure the allowance; she also took a punt at obtaining a blue badge – and struck gold!
A reader has expressed their gratitude towards Martin Lewis and his team for invaluable advice that led to a successful application for benefits, saying: “At the same time, I optimistically applied for a blue badge for him too and again, confirmation of this being approved arrived today! Without the advice on the MSE email we would not have even been aware of being eligible. THANK YOU MSE team.”
Martin Lewis himself has clarified that the benefit isn’t means-tested, stating: “It isn’t means-tested”, and elaborating that “It’s for state pensioners who need some daily living help . With AA, your finances are irrelevant.”
According to MSE, the minimum you could receive is £73 a week, which adds up to £3,778 annually, with the possibility of higher amounts for those needing extra support or with less than 12 months to live.