Almost one million people are missing out on a DWP gateway benefit that allows access to discounts and rebates worth thousands of pounds.
According to the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), around 850,000 families entitled to Pension Credit did not claim it in the 2019/20 financial year.
Around £1.7 billion ready to be distributed to families went unclaimed - each eligible family, on average, missed out on around £1,900 in the 12-month period.
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Pension Credit gives people extra money to help with living costs if they are over state pension age and on a low income.
MoneySavingExpert founder Martin Lewis has been encouraging people to check if they are eligible, telling viewers of ITV's Martin Lewis Money Show Live: "The reason this is so important is it's a gateway benefit.
"If you're entitled to the core element of pension credit, then if you're over 75, you get a free TV licence, your council tax may be lowered, you may get the warm home discount. It's really important to trigger getting this."
Other help you are entitled to when getting Pension Credit includes the following:
- Free TV licence for over-75s - a saving of £159 a year
- Council Tax Reduction - Your bill could be reduced by up to 100 per cent, potentially worth up to £2,000 a year; each local authority runs its own scheme so check with your council
- Cold Weather Payments - £25 for each seven-day period of freezing weather between November and March
- Warm Homes Discount - a one-off £140 rebate on your electricity bill between October and April
- Christmas bonus - those on the Guarantee Credit element of Pension Credit qualify for the £10 annual bonus
- Free NHS dental treatment, prescription, glasses and transport costs for hospital appointments - find out more here
- Housing Benefit if you rent the property you live in - potentially worth thousands a year
- Support for Mortgage Interest if you own the property you live in
People can find out more about making a claim on the gov.uk website.
