Most people who were aged 60 or over on 23 September 2007 are able to claim this payment. This includes people who work. People who cannot receive this payment include those who do not normally live in Great Britain or Northern Ireland; have been in hospital for more than 52 weeks; or are in custody under sentence. The payment is not taxable and does not affect other benefits, nor do income or savings affect it.

If you received a welfare benefit by the above date, such as the State Retirement Pension or Incapacity Benefit, you should receive the payment automatically by Christmas (Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit and Child Benefit do not count as welfare benefits for this payment). If you do not receive any benefits or you do not receive the automatic payment by Christmas then you will need to claim the payment. This can be done by calling the helpline on 08459 151515 (0845 601 5613 if you use a textphone). A claim form can be downloaded from The Pension Service website. The last date that you can claim is 28 March 2008. If there is one person in your household who qualifies they will receive £200. If there are two or more they will receive £100 each. However, if one of the qualifying people in the household receives Income Support or the Pension Credit they will receive the £200. Those aged 80 and over will receive an extra £100.

The rules for this payment have changed since it was introduced, some people who didn't qualify for it before, qualify for it now. If you were aged 60 or over since 1997 and did not receive a payment you may be able to claim it now for some of those years. The changes mainly affects men who were under 65 when the payment started, and those who used to live in the UK when the payment started and later moved to a European Economic Area country. Please contact SeniorLine for further advice.