MORE than 250,000 pensioners missed out on claiming thousands in vital benefits according to Government figures.
The data, released by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), covers the financial year 2019 to 2020 and reveals that thousands of pensioners across the country missed out on applying for benefits, including Housing Benefit.
It’s a move that meant they lost out on up to £4,000
The DWP data says that around 260,000 pensioners who were entitled to receive Housing Benefit did not claim the benefit – a move that experts say they cannot afford to do again with the cost of living crisis affecting so many.
Helen Morrissey, senior pensions and retirement analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “These are enormous sums of money that could really boost people’s income in retirement, and it is vitally important that those who think they may be entitled to a support check to see if they are entitled.”
Housing Benefit was not the only miss made by people here according to the data, with the DWP revealing that up to £1.7 billion of available Pension Credit went unclaimed.
The data makes clear that an estimated seven out of 10 households who were entitled to Pension Credit did claim, meaning many others missed out.
“Pension Credit take-up continues to inch up but there are still up to 850,000 pensioner households missing out on this vital benefit,” continued Ms Morrissey.
“Pension Credit boosts the income of the poorest pensioners and acts as a valuable gateway to other benefits such as help with heating bills and NHS treatment. If you are aged over 75 you are also entitled to a free TV licence.”