Can you claim pension credit? Many pensioners are leaving support worth £2,500 a year unclaimed

Pensioners who are eligible for top-ups to their income are leaving £2.4billion of pension credit unclaimed, new official figures show.

Some 1.3million pensioner households received the extra cash, but up to 900,000 are missing out on an average of £2,500 a year in support.

Overall, £5.8billion in pension credit was claimed in the financial year ending April 2025, according to figures released this week by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

If you are elderly and not well off, pension credit tops up weekly income to a minimum of £238 for single people and £363.25 for couples.

Pension credit also opens the door to a lot of additional help with household bills.

You can gain thousands of pounds on top including help with housing costs, heating, council tax, TV licences if you are over 75, and other bills. 

>> Scroll down to find out how to apply for pension credit.

Pension credit is set at a few pounds less a week than the full state pension, which is currently £241.30 a week for people retiring since the flat rate system was introduced in April 2016.

Couples where both partners qualify for the full state pension get double that amount, as everyone's state pension is worked out individually.

This means people who have paid National Insurance all their lives are rewarded with a higher income, but pension credit still provides a basic safety net put in place for the poorest older people.

Successive governments have run awareness campaigns urging hard-up elderly people to claim pension credit.

They have told older people to disregard myths that might deter them from applying – including that having savings, a pension or owning a home are barriers.

There have also been trials directly targeting people who might qualify for pension credit, and encouraging them to sign up.

Pension credit claims soared after the Government announced it would be required to qualify for Winter Fuel Payments, but following an outcry it reversed course on this policy.

All pensioners with an income of up to £35,000 should receive the Winter Fuel Payment during colder weather this year.

Meanwhile, the new DWP figures on pension credit take-up found that 62 per cent of pensioner families who were entitled claimed in the year ending April 2025, the same proportion as in the previous year.

However, the 900,000 eligible families who did not claim was down from 910,000 the year before, when the total they missed out on was £2.5billion.

The most recent figures show take-up was 65 per cent among single females, 62 per cent among single men, and 50 per cent for couples.

David Brooks, head of policy at financial services consultancy Broadstone, says: 'Despite years of awareness campaigns and continued cost-of-living pressures, nearly a million families eligible for pension credit are still missing out on support worth an average of £2,500 a year.

'Research suggests this is not simply a question of people choosing not to claim. 

'Many pensioners do not realise they are entitled to Pension Credit, while others are put off by the complexity of the process or by the lingering stigma that can surround means-tested benefits.

'Research for the DWP and others has consistently identified misunderstanding of eligibility as one of the biggest barriers to take-up.'

Brooks adds: 'At a time when much attention is focused on the Triple Lock and pension adequacy, there is something fundamentally wrong with a system where so many pensioners miss out on assistance specifically designed for those most in need.'

How to apply for pension credit

 Find out more about pension credit here and about the rules on who is eligible here.

You can apply yourself by phone on 0800 99 1234, claim pension credit online or get a form to do it by post.

A friend or family member can apply on behalf of an elderly person.

Age UK staff will also help with applications. If you call its free helpline they will check you are getting all benefits you are entitled to, including pension credit.

Any older person struggling with bills, or friends and family who are concerned about them, can call 0800 169 65 65.

This line is open every day of the year between 8am and 7pm, or you can visit Age UK's help page here.

Age UK also has a free, anonymous benefits calculator which can provide an estimate of what you could be entitled to if you want to find out this information privately.

Read This is Money's full guide to claiming pension credit.