The Department for Work and Pensions has outlined changes to how people apply for Pension Credit, with online and telephone applications now overtaking traditional paper forms
The DWP has revealed significant shifts in how citizens access their benefits. Senior officials from the department recently briefed MPs on their operations, including initiatives to encourage eligible individuals to claim the support available to them.
Peter Schofield, the DWP’s permanent secretary, informed the Work and Pensions Committee that his department is intensifying its push to boost benefit applications. Among the most severely under-claimed DWP benefits is Pension Credit, designed to assist those of state pension age living on modest incomes.
According to DWP data for the 2024/2025 tax year, more than 910,000 eligible individuals are failing to claim this support.
Mr Schofield explained to the committee: “We have been working to encourage more people to apply for Pension Credit.” He highlighted a notable transformation in application methods, reports the Mirror.
The senior civil servant said: “Now only around 10 percent of people apply using the paper form and the paper form has been superseded for most people by telephony or by an online channel. The problem with the paper form, and I know it has been referred to a number of times, is with 200 questions and all the rest of it, but a lot of those are because you have to put in questions to relate to certain circumstances that might not otherwise apply.
“If you have a child in your claim, you must fill in a certain number of questions; if you have a disability, you have to fill in a certain number of questions. If you have a second child, that adds another set of questions.”
However, he noted that many of these complications can be sidestepped by submitting your application digitally or via telephone.
Mr Schofield explained: “With the online or the telephony channel we just take you to the questions that you need to answer that are relevant to you. That makes the whole process much more streamlined and enables us to get through the claims more quickly. We are now in a good position with very low outstanding heads of work on our Pension Credit system.”
How much is Pension Credit?
On average, a Pension Credit claim delivers around £4,300 annually in assistance, with the benefit potentially covering an income boost plus access to additional Government aid. This income supplement is called ‘Guarantee Credit’, lifting your weekly income to as much as £227.10 for individuals and up to £346.60 for couples.
Extra sums may be available depending on your circumstances. For instance, those living with a severe disability could qualify for an additional £82.90 weekly, whilst carers looking after another adult might receive a further £46.40 each week.
When questioned about their efforts to reach out and encourage applications, a DWP spokesperson responded: “We want all pensioners to get the support they are rightly entitled to and our biggest ever Pension Credit take-up campaign has seen a record number of claims with nearly 60,000 extra awards this year.
“To help boost claims, we have also undertaken a new trial with Age UK and Independent Age, which targets pensioners who are most likely to be eligible for Pension Credit but not currently claiming the benefit.”