Greater Manchester residents leave £80m pension credit unclaimed

People aged 66 and more are eligible for pension credit

More than £80m of pension credit has gone unclaimed in one county in the north west of England, figures show.

Greater Manchester residents are being urged by Citizens Advice to check if they are entitled to the money.

The benefit can go unclaimed due to administrative complexity, unawareness, stigma and the "increasingly fragmented nature of support", the charity said.

The Citizens Advice Stockport, Oldham, Rochdale and Trafford (SORT) group helped more than 11,000 people in 2023.

The figure represented a 44% rise on the previous year, it said.

Backdated support

An Oldham resident named Carol said she was she was "in a right mess" when her family had fallen behind on their rent in 2023.

She had reached the state pension age of 66 but had not realised it meant she could no longer receive universal credit, which is for those under pension age.

"I had no money and I was about to be evicted."

Citizens Advice SORT helped her claim pension credit and housing benefit, which were backdated.

'Vital relief'

A Stockport resident, who did not want their name published, recently received a cancer diagnosis and was looking for financial help.

They were entitled to attendance allowance and pension credit, which boosted their income by £18,000.

Citizens Advice SORT said many more could be missing out on vital support they are entitled to.

Aly Darwin, the group's acting head of business delivery, said they were "regularly" seeing people struggling with rising costs.

"Many are simply not aware that they may be entitled to benefits or other financial support that could provide vital relief during this challenging economic time."

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