DWP Launches Campaign to Boost Pension Credit Claims

The Department for Work and Pensions has launched a Pension Credit Week of Action to encourage low-income state pensioners to claim a benefit worth an average of £4,500 per year. The agency is distributing 660,000 leaflets across seven UK regions, including Glasgow, Birmingham, and Manchester, specifically targeting areas with high proportions of low-income retirees.

Minister for Pensions Torsten Bell stated the initiative aims to ensure pensioners receive the support they are entitled to and to correct misconceptions among homeowners and those with savings who believe they are ineligible. This drive follows a previous campaign that resulted in 33,500 additional applications.

Despite these efforts, the charity Independent Age reports that over one million eligible older people failed to claim the benefit in 2023/24. This gap represents an estimated £2.5 billion in lost support for the elderly population.