The UK government has launched a new Pension Credit awareness campaign targeting 660,000 households, seeking to increase benefit uptake among older people struggling with rising living costs.
- The UK Department for Work and Pensions is distributing 660,000 leaflets across seven areas to encourage low-income pensioners to check their Pension Credit eligibility.
- Pension Credit provides more than £4,500 annually on average, but over 1 mn eligible older people missed out on an estimated £2.5 bn in support in 2023/24.
- Around 1.4 mn pensioner households currently receive Pension Credit. The latest campaign follows an awareness drive that generated an additional 33,500 applications.
Announced by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) on October 13, 2026, the initiative will distribute information leaflets across seven areas with high concentrations of low-income pensioners.
Pension Credit is worth more than £4,500 a year on average for recipients, providing additional income to eligible retirees and access to further financial assistance.
The campaign will target households in Glasgow, Powys, Stockton-on-Tees, inland Cornwall, Birmingham, East Suffolk and Manchester.
Recipients will receive guidance on eligibility, the application process and how to help family members claim benefits. The DWP is also encouraging pensioners to keep the information accessible, including by displaying the leaflet on their refrigerator.
The initiative follows the government’s largest Pension Credit awareness campaign in 2025, which generated an additional 33,500 applications.
Approximately 1.4 mn pensioner households currently receive the benefit, although research indicates that substantial numbers of eligible retirees remain outside the system.
More than £2.5 bn in Pension Credit goes unclaimed
Independent Age estimates that more than 1 mn low-income older people who qualified for Pension Credit did not receive it during 2023/24, missing out on approximately £2.5 bn in financial assistance.
Morgan Vine, director of policy and influencing at Independent Age, said limited awareness and misconceptions about eligibility continue to prevent pensioners from accessing support.
Every day we hear heartbreaking stories of older people enduring financial hardship because they aren’t aware of Pension Credit, or that they qualify for the support.
Morgan Vine, director of policy and influencing at Independent Age
The DWP is seeking to address common misunderstandings, including the belief that owning a home or having savings automatically prevents someone from qualifying.
Minister for Pensions Torsten Bell said the benefit could make a substantial difference to retirement finances.
“Far too many pensioners are missing out on support they’re entitled to. Pension Credit is worth more than £4,500 a year on average and can make a real difference to people’s finances, while also opening the door to help with bills and other everyday costs,” Bell said.
The government’s wider pensioner support measures include Winter Fuel Payments, Cold Weather Payments and Attendance Allowance. It has also stated that the State Pension is set to increase by up to £2,100 over the current Parliament.
The new initiative forms part of the DWP’s Pension Credit Week of Action, which aims to improve understanding of eligibility requirements and encourage applications.
Alongside the leaflets, the campaign includes advertising on television, radio, in print and across social media, as well as a partnership with ITV’s The Chase.
Pensioners requiring assistance with eligibility checks or applications are being encouraged to seek guidance from organizations including Independent Age and Citizens Advice.
The government hopes the expanded campaign will build on last year’s increase in applications and reduce the amount of financial support left unclaimed by eligible pensioner households.
