A pensioner has spoken exclusively to Express.co.uk about how her life has “changed for the better”, after receiving an underclaimed state benefit worth £3,300 each year. Yvonne DeBurgo has been claiming Pension Credit for eight years and this adds £70 to her weekly income.
The retired receptionist states it is “always worth checking your eligibility,” as initially she was told she could not qualify.
However, after contacting Citizen’s Advice, they told her she could claim the benefit and receive extra cash weekly to help her with any bills.
Ms DeBurgo said: “When I first started receiving Pension Credit it changed my life.
“It allowed me to start seeing friends again for coffee and visiting garden centres, something I couldn’t afford to do before I started receiving the extra money.
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“I felt isolated before Pension Credit as I never went out, it did give me a new lease of life.
“Now the cost of living is so high it doesn’t go as far as it used to, most of my money is now going on energy bills and food.
“I am still grateful for Pension Credit; I can’t even imagine what my life would have been like without it during these difficult times.”
The 77-year-old explained that older people who may be struggling financially can really benefit from Pension Credit. She urged people to check their eligibility.
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She added: “Even if you are only eligible for a few extra pounds a month, it still opens the door to other helpful benefits like a free TV licence and vouchers towards glasses.”
The Government has said Pension Credit could be worth over £3,300 per year, which could make a big difference for eligible people.
Pension Credit is also set to increase in April by 10.1 percent, in line with September 2022’s CPI inflation figure.
The rates for a single person will rise from £182.60 to £201.05 per week.
While the rates for a couple will increase from £278.70 to £306.85.
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To be eligible, people usually need to live in England, Scotland or Wales, and have reached state pension age.
New figures revealed today show that in August 2022, there were 1.4 million people receiving Pension Credit, representing a total of 1.6 million beneficiaries including partners.
Roughly two thirds (66 percent) of people getting Pension Credit were women but there were 44,000 fewer recipients against the previous year.
This shows a long-term downward trend in the Pension Credit caseload which is due to the raising of the state pension age, among other factors.
It still remains the most underclaimed benefit available, with many missing out.
Up to an estimated 850,000 eligible households are not claiming Pension Credit worth £1.7billion.
Morgan Vine, head of policy & influencing at Independent Age commented on today’s Pension Credit caseload statistics.
She said: “For new recipients this extra money will have made a big difference but there is still a long way to go to get this vital benefit to everyone who is eligible. The Government has still not provided up to date figures showing how many people are missing out on the Pension Credit they should be getting. This number is likely to still be in the hundreds of thousands.
“Last year the Government published estimates on uptake in February but has said it has no plans to do so this year. The government has a responsibility to monitor and publish the uptake statistics of this essential benefit payment.
“Without this, both the Government and organisations like Independent Age will be unable to successfully target those eligible.
“We urge the government to implement a Pension Credit uptake strategy so it can tackle the problem of low uptake in a targeted way, otherwise many older people facing financial hardship will be left behind as the cost of living stays worryingly high.”
