DWP encourages older people to check for income top-up on Pension Credit day of action

dailyrecord.co.uk:

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced a ‘day of action’ this month which will focus on encouraging people of State Pension age to check eligibility for a benefit worth on average, £1,900 each year but could be worth more than £3,000 in financial support and additional discounts.DWP’s ‘Pension Credit Day of Action’ will take place on Wednesday, June 15 and aims to get more older people applying for support to help them manage the rising cost of living.Figures released by the UK Government in April showed that up to 850,000 families who were entitled to receive Pension Credit did not claim the benefit in the financial year 2019 to 2020 and earlier this week, DWP minister Guy Opperman MP, gave an update indicating that an estimated 770,000 pensioners qualify for the extra support and have not claimed.The DWP launched a new awareness campaign in April and said up to £1.7 billion of available Pension Credit went unclaimed - on average, this amounts to around £1,900 per year for each family entitled to receive the ‘gateway’ benefit.Pension Credit gives people extra money to help with living costs if they are over State Pension age and on a low income.Some older people think because they have savings or own their home they would not be eligible for any Pension Credit, but thousands could be missing out on the extra money and discounts it provides every month.More than 1.4 million people over State Pension age across the UK are currently receiving the benefit, including some 129,671 living in Scotland, and accessing additional financial help with Council Tax, Housing Benefit, hearing bills and a free TV Licence for the over 75s.If you qualify for Pension Credit you can also get other help, such as:One of the