Getty Images
The Liberal Democrats have called for an extension to Saturday's deadline to access winter fuel payments, warning that tens of thousands of elderly people could miss out.
There has been a surge in pension credit applications since Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced in July that payment for this year would be mainly limited to those who benefit from it.
But as of mid-November, thousands of retirees considered eligible had yet to apply.
At that point, there was also a backlog of 91,000 unprocessed applications, of which around 9,000 were being processed each week, according to the latest official figures.
The government says it is working to increase participation and that eligible applications can be backdated.
People have until Saturday evening to apply for pension credit to get this year's winter fuel payment.
The deadline for online applications is 23:59 GMT, while the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said its complaints telephone lines will also be open from 08:00 to 15:15.
The Liberal Democrats are calling for this deadline to be extended until February 28 and for applications to be processed more quickly, to ensure vulnerable pensioners are not left behind.
Previously, all pensioners received help to cover their energy costs, worth between £200 and £300.
But in July the government said future payments in England and Wales would be reserved for people on low incomes who received specific benefits such as Pension Credit, meaning more than 10 million people would not would have more right to it.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer defended the move, saying tough decisions were necessary because of the state of public finances.
But the move has been criticized by several charities, unions and opposition parties, with some Labor MPs also expressing concerns about the impact on low-income pensioners.
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said: “Older people across the country are having to make heartbreaking decisions about whether to heat their homes or eat over the Christmas period.
“Ministers must do everything they can to limit the damage caused by their misguided decision to cut winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners.”
Following this announcement, the government launched a campaign encouraging eligible people to benefit from pension credit, with around 150,000 new applications between July 29 and November 17.
But that represents only a small fraction of the estimated 880,000 eligible retirees who had not filed a claim.
Age UK says it has been inundated with requests for help in applying for the benefit.
The association's director, Caroline Abrahams, told the BBC: “For some older people they still haven't heard of pension credit or the form is too complicated.
“Help is available, but of course the system is currently overwhelmed.”
BBC Verify analysis suggests tens of thousands of pensioners are unlikely to receive their winter fuel payment before the end of the year due to the backlog of unprocessed claims.
The DWP says it has deployed 500 additional staff to speed up processing.
A government spokesperson said: “More than a million pensioners will still receive the winter fuel payment, and our efforts to boost the use of pension credit have seen applications more than double, with more of 40,000 additional retirees who now receive it, as well as payment for winter fuel. .
“We continue to urge anyone who thinks they may be entitled to Pension Credit to check now, as all eligible claims can be backdated, and anyone who makes a successful claim before December 21 will receive their payment.”
