Nearly 50,000 Older Brits are now receiving a financial boost worth around £3,500 a year – and thousands more could be eligible.

New figures announced today show that the benefits department processed a “record” number of Pension Credit claims, with 117,800 applications granted since July last year. This is a 64% increase compared to the same period a year ago and the highst since comparisons began in 2020.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has also seen a significant increase in the number of people applying for Pension Credit, with 300,000 applications put forward this year alone.

In response to this surge, the DWP added an extra 50 staff members to process the claims. According to the department, this “doubled” cleared claims between July and February this year, reducing the backlog of applications from a peak of 85,500 to just 33,700. This brings the waiting list back to normal levels following the unprecedented surge in applications.

Pension Credit is a benefit for people who have reached state pension age and are on a low income. If you’re eligible to claim it, your weekly income will be topped up to £201.05 a week, or to £306.85 if you’re in a couple. According to DWP guidelines, you’ll be eligible for Pension Credit if:

If you have less than £10,000 in savings, your Pension Credit will not be impacted. However, if your savings go over this threshold, support will be deducted. Pension Credit can also give you money off essential bills and housing costs such as Council Tax.

You are also entitled to receive a free TV licence if you’re over 75, the Warm Home Discount worth £150 each year, Cold Weather Payments, Housing Benefit, free dental treatment and vouchers for glasses or contact lenses. You might also get additional payments if you’re a carer, severely disabled, or responsible for a child or young person. The DWP says those who claim Pension Credit are on average £3,500 a year better off – in some instances it could even be worth over £4,000.

The government launched its Pension Credit campaign in Autumn after Rachel Reeves announced that only pensioners claiming Pension Credit – or other means-tested benefits – would qualify for the £300 winter support payment. Previously it was everyone over the state pension age of 66.

The benefits department said building on this success, it will be exploring more ways to boost applications for the extra support. Some of its plans include writing to all pensioners who make a claim for Housing Benefit, starting new research on the triggers and motivations that encourage people to apply, and working across different government departments – including HMRC – to access databases with details on household income. This would allow the DWP to identify pensioner households most likely to be eligible for Pension Credit.

Last year, around 800,000 older brits were believed to be eligible for the extra more, meaning even after the spike in applications hundreds of thousands of Brits are still eligible to claim.

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Liz Kendall said: “I’m delighted we’ve been able to reach so many pensioners who need to be on Pension Credit, which can be a lifeline to so many on low incomes. The record high number of claims awarded follows months of work to drive awareness of Pension Credit and then to process the huge spike in applications we received, and now thousands more pensioners are accessing the range of support on offer.

“We won’t stop there. We are absolutely committed to ensuring every pensioner is supported in their retirement – whether through our ongoing Pension Credit campaign, extending the Household Support Fund and our commitment to the Triple Lock on the State Pension.”

You can apply for Pension Credit online on the Gov.uk website, by calling 0800 99 1234, or by printing out and filling in a paper application form. You can get a friend or family member to ring for you, but you’ll need to be with them when they do. You will also need the following information on you before applying:

According to the DWP, the online claim form takes 16 minutes to complete, and 90% of new Pension Credit claimants use it to make their application.

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