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£1.7 billion in Pension Credit score unclaimed
This week, UK monetary safety charity Turn2us at the moment launched its ‘don’t rule it out, discover out’ marketing campaign, which urges squeezed pensioners to test if they may obtain pension credit score. It could possibly be value a mean of £3,500 a 12 months.
This Pension Credit score Consciousness Week (12-16 June), the charity urges anybody over 66 on a low earnings, or their household and mates, to spend simply ten minutes on its free on-line advantages calculator or name its data line on 0808 802 2000 if accessing the web just isn’t an choice.
The short, free and confidential on-line calculator helps folks discover out if they’re eligible for all types of state advantages, together with pension credit score, which is paid along with the state pension and is obtainable even when you have financial savings and personal your individual residence.
Up to now 12 months alone, greater than 300,000 folks over the state pension age of 66 used the Turn2us advantages calculator to search out out what extra help they could be entitled to. One in seven of these (39,235 folks) came upon they had been eligible for Pension Credit score which, at a mean of £3,500 per particular person per 12 months, provides as much as greater than £137million in further state advantages discovered by pensioners on low incomes.
Turn2us director of impression and innovation Michael Clarke says:
“Analysis exhibits a number of pensioners don’t know pension credit score exists, and lots of others rule out discovering out as they assume they’re not eligible due to their financial savings or proudly owning their very own residence.
“The truth is a single pensioner getting by on an earnings of lower than £201.05 every week, or a pair with below £306.85 every week, could possibly be eligible even when they’re owners with financial savings of as much as £10,000.”
Referred to as a ‘gateway profit’ receiving Pension Credit score means you could possibly routinely be eligible for different help, resembling free dental care, further funds to assist with heating, lease or mortgage curiosity and a free TV license (the latter being out there in case you’re additionally over 75).
Final 12 months throughout Pension Credit score Consciousness Week, the Division for Work and Pensions (DWP) stated that whereas 1.4 million pensioners in Britain obtain it, £1.7bn continues to be left unclaimed. DWP studies persons are postpone for a spread of causes, from wrongly pondering they’re not eligible due to financial savings or proudly owning their very own residence to not desirous to be seen as needing to assert, or pondering the method might be difficult or complicated.
Sarah Pennels, their head of economic functionality at Royal London, says:
“The actual fact so many pensioners are lacking out on Pension Credit score in the midst of a cost-of-living disaster is worrying. This profit offers a lot wanted extra earnings but in addition means folks qualify for assist with lease, council tax and different payments and advantages as a result of Pension Credit score is a gateway profit to different help.”
In case you assume you is likely to be eligible – don’t rule it out, discover out – through the use of the Turn2us free on-line advantages calculator on our web site, turn2us.org.uk, or, in case you don’t have entry to the web, name the Turn2us data line on: 0808 802 2000, 9.00 am – 5.00 pm Mondays-Fridays.