Hundreds of thousands of pensioners urged to check they're not missing out on vital Pension Credit

Worth more than £4,500 a year on average, pensioners and their families are being encouraged to check whether they could be eligible, help a loved one make a claim, and pin the advice to their fridge so they have the information to hand.

As part of the major Government campaign to ensure low-income households do not miss out, 660,000 leaflets will be posted through letterboxes in seven areas across the UK with a high proportion of low-income pensioners.

As pensioners continue to feel cost-of-living pressures, the Government is making sure they have vital support, including the Winter Fuel Payment, Cold Weather Payments, Attendance Allowance and the State Pension, which is set to rise by up to £2,100 over this Parliament. 

The advice will guide pensioners through how to apply to Pension Credit, and how to support a family member with a claim, while busting common myths about eligibility, including that homeowners or pensioners with savings cannot claim.

Around 1.4m pensioner households are already benefiting from Pension Credit. Last year, the Department for Work and Pensions saw an extra 33,500 applications, following its biggest ever Pension Credit awareness campaign. The Department has now launched a new drive to ensure that eligible pensioners don’t miss out.

The leaflets will be posted through letterboxes in Glasgow, Powys, Stockton-on-Tees, inland Cornwall, Birmingham, East Suffolk and Manchester.

Minister for Pensions Torsten Bell said: