One million retirees are missing out on pension credit - how to check if it's you

Pension Credit claims fall 36 per cent as DWP figures reveal a million retirees' 'lives suffer'

Applications for state pension support have fallen by more than a third over the past year despite repeated awareness campaigns urging eligible households to apply.Fresh figures released by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show 209,735 Pension Credit claims were submitted between February 24, 2025 and February 22, 2026.That represents a 36 per cent decline compared with the previous 12 months.This equates to 117,595 fewer pensioners ap…

One million retirees are missing out on pension credit - how to check if it's you

There is a persistently low take-up of pension credit, new Government research shows, with around one million older people missing out. Applications for the benefit were down 36 per cent in the past year, according to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), receiving 209,735 compared to 117,595 in the year previously. Labour is encouraging people to sign up with pensions minister Torsten Bell telling The i Paper that “one phone call could tr…

Pension credit claims drop as dust settles after winter fuel payment U-turn

Rachel Vahey, head of public policy at AJ Bell, highlights that Pension Credit claims have fallen 36% year on year as the spike linked to winter fuel payment changes unwinds, with a higher proportion of applications now approved and the DWP reducing its backlog, although nearly 100,000 claims were not awarded over the period. Rachel Vahey, head of public policy at AJ Bell, comments: “The panic caused by the announcement of the withdrawal of the …