27 February 2025
If you are covering the government’s announcement that shows a significant spike in pension credit applications, please find below a comment from Jon Greer, head of retirement policy at Quilter:
“The government’s pension credit campaign has clearly paid off, with a significant increase in the number of people being awarded the benefit, along with the clearing of the backlog. In light of the removal of the winter fuel payment for those not on pension credit, this is clearly a big positive and should see a large swathe of people get a benefit that they may have thought they were not entitled to.
“However, while there has been a huge boost in the number of people being awarded the benefit, our research suggests that an equally large, if not greater, number will have been denied. From April 2024 to December 2024, just over half of all those applying were rejected for the benefit, and thus will have missed out on a number of other benefits, including free TV licence if you’re over 75, as well as the winter fuel payment. The government’s own data suggests that the number being denied is significant, with a record 300,000 pension credit applications being received this year alone, yet only 117,800 applications being awarded. Awareness is clearly being raised, but perhaps could be better targeted.
“That said, while the data shows a significant proportion of claimants are being denied pension credit this should not stop people applying if they think they might be eligible. Indeed, pension credit remains an under claimed benefit, with hundreds of thousands eligible, yet reaching these people and getting them to apply is proving difficult. Applying is simple and the government needs to keep up the momentum so that everyone who should be in receipt of the benefit is actually getting it.”
In order to successfully get pension credit in the UK, you need to meet the following criteria:
- You must have reached State Pension age, which is currently 66 or older.
- You must live in the UK.
- Your weekly income should be below £218.15 if you’re single, or £332.95 if you’re in a couple. If you have a disability or caring responsibilities, you might still qualify with a slightly higher income.
- If you have savings and investments over £10,000, each £500 above this amount counts as £1 in additional income per week when calculating eligibility. For example, if you have £11,000 in savings, this counts as £2 income a week.
