Introduction
If you receive your pension or benefits payment by cheque, there are some important changes that you need to be aware of.
Benefits payments - the withdrawal of cheques
From Autumn 2012, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will begin to stop paying pensions and benefits by cheque. You should have already received a letter from the DWP asking you to think about how you want to be paid when they no longer pay you by cheque.
How do I tell the DWP about how I want to be paid?
If you have not told the Department already how you want to be paid, please call their Customer Payment Centre for free on 0800 085 7075. The person that you speak to should be able to talk you through your options for how they can pay you once they stop paying by cheque.
The Simple Payment service for when you have no bank or other account
Many people who receive a pension or benefits are unable to use a bank or other account, such as a Post Office card account. If you are one of these people, the DWP will move you to a new payment service called "Simple Payment".
If this happens, the DWP will send you a Simple Payment card that allows you to collect your payments at any PayPoint outlet that displays the Simple Payment sign.
The card does not have any financial value itself and does not hold any personal details about you.
How can I get more information about the Simple Payment service in my preferred format?
If you think you are going to need to be paid by Simple Payment, please tell the DWP if you require information about Simple Payment in braille or large print. You can do this when you first call their Customer Payment Centre on 0800 085 7075. The DWP can then send out your Simple Payment Welcome Pack in print, large print or braille.
How will I collect my payments using Simple Payments?
When you visit a PayPoint outlet that displays the Simple Payment sign, you will need to bring along three things:
-
your Simple Payment card
-
your memorable date (this will be your date of birth to begin with, but you can change this to another memorable date)
-
proof of identification (such as your passport or a utility bill that is less than three months old).
If you do not have one of the forms of identification that are listed in the Simple Payments Welcome Pack you receive, you can contact the office that pays your benefit or pension and they will give you a letter which you can use instead.
If you need to talk to someone regarding problems with your simple payment card call 0845 600 0046.
We are interested to hear if the system does not work for blind and partially sighted people. Tell us if you have any difficulties receiving information in your perferred format. Let us know if the person at DWP who takes your call did not know how to record your preferred format or you receive information in the wrong format. Call our Campaigns Team on 020 7391 2123 or email campaign@rnib.org.uk.