The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed it is targeting thousands of state pensioners who may be eligible for Pension Credit worth up to £3,900 a year but are not claiming it. The move comes as part of a major awareness drive to boost take-up of the benefit.
MP Raises Question in Commons
Sir John Hayes, Conservative MP for South Holland and The Deepings, asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps are being taken to increase Pension Credit take-up in his constituency. Torsten Bell, Labour MP for Swansea and a minister, responded by outlining the government's efforts.
Bell stated: "The Government is committed to ensuring that all pensioners receive the support to which they are entitled. That is why we have been running the biggest ever Pension Credit take-up campaign across the whole of Great Britain, promoting Pension Credit to eligible pensioners and their families."
Massive Advertising Campaign
The campaign features advertising on television and radio stations including Greatest Hits Radio, Classic FM, Smooth, and Hits Radio Lincolnshire. Advertorials have appeared in national and local press such as the Lincolnshire Echo, Grantham Journal, Lincolnshire Free Press, Spalding Guardian, and Stamford Mercury.
Digital adverts are also running on social media and on screens in GP surgeries and Post Offices, including 13 locations across Lincolnshire. The latest campaign burst launched in May 2026.
Data-Driven Targeting
Bell added: "We are also using data to target potentially eligible households. For example, since February 2025 all new Housing Benefit claimants who may be eligible have been invited to apply for Pension Credit."
Additionally, a trial with Age UK and Independent Age targeted 2,000 households in England, testing whether HMRC and DWP data can identify potentially eligible households.
