{"id":119402,"date":"2026-04-19T09:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T08:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/?p=119402"},"modified":"2026-04-19T09:28:02","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T08:28:02","slug":"pension-credit-thousands-still-unclaimed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/pension-credit-thousands-still-unclaimed\/","title":{"rendered":"Pension Credit Worth Thousands Still Unclaimed across the UK se"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Many older people in the UK may be entitled to additional financial support without realising it. New figures shared by money saving expert<strong> Martin Lewis<\/strong> suggest that a significant number of pensioners are not claiming benefits they qualify for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The issue centres on Pension Credit, a means-tested benefit designed to support those on low incomes in retirement. Despite its availability, awareness and uptake remain limited, leaving hundreds of thousands without support that could substantially improve their financial situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Eligibility Thresholds Reveal Widespread Underclaiming<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Martin Lewis has urged pensioners to check whether they qualify for Pension Credit, stating that around<strong> 900,000 eligible individuals <\/strong>are not claiming it. According to reporting by Express.co.uk, he shared the message on social media, encouraging people to verify their entitlement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Eligibility is primarily based on income. Single pensioners with a weekly income under <strong>\u00a3238 <\/strong>are likely to qualify, while those earning under <strong>\u00a3255<\/strong> are still advised to check. For couples, the threshold is a combined weekly income below <strong>\u00a3363<\/strong>, with possible eligibility extending up to <strong>\u00a3380<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These figures reflect updated thresholds for the current tax year. According to <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.moneysavingexpert.com\/latesttip\/?source=TWORG-TIP#pensioncredit\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">MoneySavingExpert<\/a><\/strong>, the number of eligible people may have increased following these adjustments, meaning some individuals who previously did not qualify could now be entitled to support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The benefit itself can be worth thousands of pounds annually. According to government estimates cited by Martin Lewis, Pension Credit remains one of the most underclaimed benefits in the UK, despite being specifically targeted at low-income pensioners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">900,000 eligible state pensioners on low incomes are missing out on a crucial top-up called Pension Credit.<br><br>Plus it has a hidden superpower&#8230; it&#39;s a gateway to free TV licences, Council Tax reductions, free dental treatment and more \ud83d\udc47<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/7guGwJUltu\">https:\/\/t.co\/7guGwJUltu<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/DunTKRTcWX\">pic.twitter.com\/DunTKRTcWX<\/a><\/p>&mdash; MoneySavingExpert (@MoneySavingExp) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MoneySavingExp\/status\/2045215723354562946?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">April 17, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Additional Benefits Extend beyond Weekly Payments<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Pension Credit does not only provide a direct income top-up. It also acts as a gateway to a wider range of financial support, which can significantly increase its overall value.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Recipients may qualify for a free <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/households-cancel-tv-licence-bbc-overhaul\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"108841\">TV licence<\/a><\/strong> if they are aged 75 or over. According to BirminghamLive, other entitlements can include <strong>Housing Benefit <\/strong>for renters, support for mortgage interest for homeowners, and reductions in Council Tax.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Further assistance may cover NHS-related costs, such as dental treatment, glasses, and transport to hospital appointments. There is also potential access to the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/government-warm-home-discount-help-families\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"112378\">Warm Home Discount <\/a>Scheme<\/strong>, which helps reduce heating bills, along with discounts on services like Royal Mail redirection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Real-life cases illustrate the cumulative impact of these benefits. According to MoneySavingExpert, one pensioner reported saving nearly <strong>\u00a33,000<\/strong> over a year after successfully claiming Pension Credit. Although the weekly payment she received was modest, it unlocked multiple forms of additional support, including council tax reductions and energy bill assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Martin Lewis has emphasised the importance of checking eligibility promptly, advising pensioners to use the <strong>GOV.UK online calculator<\/strong> or contact official helplines. His message has been consistent: even a small entitlement can open the door to broader financial help.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A growing number of UK pensioners could be entitled to extra financial support but have not claimed it. New data highlights how income thresholds may leave many unaware, raising questions about how widely the benefit is understood.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":119405,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-119402","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\/119402","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=119402"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119402\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":119426,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119402\/revisions\/119426"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/119405"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119402"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119402"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119402"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}