{"id":116966,"date":"2026-01-25T08:10:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T08:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/?p=116966"},"modified":"2026-01-25T07:45:06","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T07:45:06","slug":"massive-dwp-rule-change-pensioners-warned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/massive-dwp-rule-change-pensioners-warned\/","title":{"rendered":"Massive DWP Rule Change: Pensioners Warned as Benefit Checks Quietly Begin"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

DWP Permanent Secretary Peter Schofield<\/strong> confirmed the policy shift during a recent appearance before the Commons Select Committee, where he outlined the department\u2019s renewed focus on verifying eligibility across multiple benefits. His comments follow expanded powers granted to the DWP to access bank account data, as part of a broader anti-fraud strategy under the Labour government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Schofield, the department is shifting its attention to Pension Credit due to the complexity of the eligibility requirements and the scale of losses previously identified in Universal Credit. He cited \u201ccapital fraud<\/strong>\u201d and \u201cabroad fraud<\/strong>\u201d as the two main areas of concern within the Pension Credit system, both of which are now subject to increased scrutiny through new data-sharing arrangements and digital monitoring tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Focus Shifts from Universal Credit to Pension Credit<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Following sustained efforts to tackle fraudulent claims within Universal Credit, the DWP is now turning its attention to Pension Credit<\/strong>. According to Peter Schofield, the shift comes after significant progress in reducing fraud and error rates in Universal Credit, which had been the department\u2019s primary concern due to the scale of financial loss involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking before MPs, Schofield explained, \u201cWhere we’ve focused on fraud and error really hard – and we’ve started with Universal Credit<\/a> <\/strong>because it was the biggest area of loss we’ve seen big improvements – we can now turn our attention to Pension Credit as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He identified the main areas of vulnerability within Pension Credit as relating to capital declarations and eligibility violations involving prolonged stays abroad<\/strong>. According to Schofield, claimants sometimes fail to disclose savings or extended periods overseas, both of which can affect their entitlement to benefits. \u201cThe biggest areas of fraud and error in Pension Credit relate to capital, and also abroad fraud, so people who are claiming who are abroad for longer than they are allowed to be<\/em>,\u201d he told the committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These revelations align with a broader government initiative aimed at minimising public spending losses due to incorrect or deceitful benefit claims. According to the department, the measures being introduced mirror those successfully implemented for Universal Credit, including access to third-party data sources<\/strong> and real-time eligibility monitoring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New Verification Tools and Legislative Backing<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The enhanced checks are supported by new legislative powers that allow the DWP to access personal financial data, including transaction history<\/strong> and capital levels<\/strong> held in bank accounts. According to Schofield<\/a>, this data access will also be used to identify patterns that suggest potential fraud, including money movements that might indicate extended stays outside the UK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe’re also using access to data. Some of the things that we’re doing to drive down fraud and error in Universal Credit are also relevant to Pension Credit<\/em>,\u201d he said. The same data-sharing channels used to track income for Carer\u2019s Allowance via HMRC are now being applied to other benefits, enabling cross-referencing of earnings and transactions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A further element of the strategy includes the introduction of an \u201celigibility verification measure<\/em>\u201d which, according to Schofield, will allow the department to identify suspicious activity abroad. This is designed to tackle what he termed \u201cabroad fraud\u201d, where claimants remain outside the UK beyond the period permitted under benefit eligibility rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The DWP is also conducting a targeted case review within the Pension Credit scheme, aiming to assess current claims for inconsistencies <\/strong>or undeclared changes<\/strong> in circumstance. The department has stated it will continue encouraging benefit recipients to report changes that could affect their entitlement, as part of a wider push for transparency and compliance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Department for Work and Pensions will begin monitoring bank accounts of Pension Credit claimants, following similar measures already in place for Universal Credit. The move forms part of the government’s ongoing campaign to reduce welfare fraud and financial error.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":116968,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-116966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-retirement","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116966"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116966\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":116967,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116966\/revisions\/116967"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/116968"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}