People on State Pension not claiming benefit worth an average of £1,900 each year
dailyrecord.co.ukNew figures released by the UK Government show 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.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said up to £1.7 billion of available Pension Credit went unclaimed. On average, this amounted 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 - an estimated seven out of 10 of those entitled to Pension Credit did claim.
Helen Morrissey, senior pensions and retirement analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “Pension Credit take-up continues to inch up but there are still up to 850,000 pensioner households missing out on this vital benefit. “Pension Credit boosts the income of the poorest pensioners and acts as a valuable gateway to other benefits such as help with heating bills and NHS treatment.
Read more on dailyrecord.co.uk
