Government ought to promote all pensioner advantages on the identical time to enhance woeful take-up

The Government should run an all-in-one take-up campaign to persuade pensioners to claim every single benefit they are eligible for, say two leading charities.

Age UK and Independent Age say 280,000 older people could be lifted out of poverty if there was 100 per cent take-up of pension credit, housing benefit and council tax reduction.

It would provide a further 770,000 people with more money in their pocket, although they would still live below the poverty line, they add.

The charities have urged the Government to consider an ‘all-entitlements take-up strategy’, pointing out that much existing activity focuses on one entitlement in isolation.

But they find that in reality the elderly people who approach them for help will often discover they are eligible for more than just one benefit.

Despite high-profile awareness campaigns, there is 62 per cent take-up of pension credit, and 900,000 pensioner households are missing out on £2.4billion a year, according to the latest official figures.

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 – housing, heating, council tax, TV licences if you are over 75, and other costs.

Some 270,000 households which are eligible are not claiming £1.3billion in housing benefit, although the take-up rate is much higher at 83 per cent.

Meanwhile, 1.65million people are missing out on £2billion worth of council tax reductions, with just half of those who could claim doing so.

Attendance Allowance, an important benefit for older people who need help caring for themselves, is worth either £76.70 or £114.60 a week, and you don’t need to be hard-up to qualify.

But take-up is 69 per cent, and 1.1million people are losing out on £5.2billion.

‘The stark reality is that Independent Age and Age UK hear regularly from people who are eligible for support, but instead of receiving what they are entitled to, are being left without enough money to live on,’ say the charities.

‘Millions of people of all ages in the UK are living in poverty, including 1.7 million over state pension age.

‘An all-entitlements take-up strategy would help realise the UK Government’s ambitions on take-up by bringing everything together in one place.

‘It would help create a coherent system, bring efficiencies, share good practice, and identify any gaps in activity and how to fill them.’

The charities say take-up of pension credit has stagnated at between 60 and 65 per cent for more than a decade, and they hope their report will inspire the Government to develop its own plans to close the claimant gaps across different benefits.

Government figures show millions of households are missing out on billions of pounds of vital support that can boost incomes by thousands of pounds a year, they explain.

‘This income can mean the difference between living in a cold home and being able to turn on the heating without worrying about spiralling bills, putting food on the table or skipping meals and paying the transport costs to see friends and family to ease isolation.’

The charities add that barriers to claiming include a lack of awareness of available support, confusion over eligibility, long and complicated application forms, digital exclusion, stigma and patchy co-ordination across Government departments.

A Department for Work and Pensions spokesman said: ‘We are working hard to get benefits to those who are entitled to them. Our biggest ever pension credit take-up campaign meant that an additional 33,500 pension credit awards were made in 2025.

“Reaching into communities, our £1billion Crisis and Resilience Fund can be used by councils to run schemes such as benefit support checks so everyone knows what they’re entitled to.

‘Recent statistics show pensioner poverty rates falling since 2021-22 as we prioritise efforts to help more pensioners access the support they need.’

Could claiming benefits help YOU?

Age UK and Independent Age provided the stories below of how elderly people who sought help saw their lives improve.

Steve, 69, says: ‘I found it difficult to find information about benefits and understand what you’re entitled to.

‘A friend told me about Independent Age and I decided to call their helpline to see if I qualified for any benefits.

‘I got Attendance Allowance and pension credit in the end, and I remember feeling so relieved. Getting those benefits has made a big difference to me.

‘My council tax bill was a big worry for me. I used to pay around £1,300 a year. Now that I’ve been awarded Attendance Allowance and pension credit, I pay £0 for it.

‘Before, I was on a very tight budget for food. I could only afford the basics and would only buy the cheapest items at the supermarket. My fridge was very bare. Now, I can eat fresh and healthy food instead of food out of a tin.’

June is in her late 70s and has Parkinson’s disease, but assumed she wasn’t eligible for Attendance Allowance.

She contacted a local Age UK in the East of England who offered a home visit. The adviser conducted a full benefit entitlement check and helped June complete the Attendance Allowance form.

She couldn’t do it herself as she finds writing difficult and filling in forms daunting.

June successfully claimed Attendance Allowance, which made her eligible for pension credit, and therefore a full council tax reduction and health costs like glasses were covered too.

She told Age UK: ‘All of this extra support has improved my state of mind so much and I am just ever so grateful to you.’