Humanitarian · Benefits & hardship support · 16 October 2026
DWP posts 660,000 leaflets urging pensioners to check Pension Credit
Department for Work and Pensions says it has launched a new drive to urge pensioners to check their eligibility for Pension Credit. It says 660,000 leaflets will be posted to households in seven specific UK areas. The campaign targets areas with a high proportion of low-income pensioners.
Department for Work and Pensions says it has launched a new drive to urge pensioners to check their eligibility for Pension Credit. The department states that 660,000 leaflets will be posted to households in seven specific UK areas. These areas are Glasgow, Powys, Stockton-on-Tees, inland Cornwall, Birmingham, East Suffolk, and Manchester.
It says Pension Credit provides an average annual income boost of more than £4,500. The campaign aims to correct myths that homeowners or those with savings cannot claim. Minister for Pensions Torsten Bell says: "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."
The new drive follows a previous campaign that resulted in 33,500 extra applications. Around 1.4m pensioner households currently receive Pension Credit. Independent Age analysis suggests over a million eligible older people did not claim in 2023/4.
The announcement does not state when the leaflets will be delivered or how long the campaign will last. It does not provide details on how individuals can apply for Pension Credit beyond the leaflet distribution.
Written by StreetOwl from Department for Work and Pensions’s own announcement. It was drafted by StreetOwl’s own model, every figure and quotation was checked by code against the announcement, and it was read and approved by Michael Rossi before it went up. It says what was announced, not what anyone should do about it.
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