An estimated 120,000 households in Scotland failed to claim Pension Credit.
Thousands of Scotland’s poorest pensioners are missing out on vital benefits, according to new UK Government figures.
Data from the DWP revealed that an estimated £2.2 billion of available Pension Credit went unclaimed across the UK in 2017/18.
An estimated 120,000 households in Scotland failed to claim the benefit, despite being eligible.
Age Scotland is now urging pensioners to call its free helpline to ensure they are not missing out.
The charity had a record-breaking year in 2019, helping to identify £719,000 in unclaimed benefits for older people who called the helpline.
Chief executive Brian Sloan said the figure was the “tip of the iceberg”, estimating that there could be upwards of £200 million going unclaimed by pensioners.
Mr Sloan said: “Pension Credit is an incredibly valuable entitlement designed to help older people with the cost of living. With more than 150,000 pensioners in Scotland living in poverty we must do everything we can to help improve their quality of life.
“Many people who call our helpline are among Scotland’s poorest pensioners and claiming the benefits they are entitled to can be the difference between heating their homes or not.
“The dramatic increase in unclaimed benefits we have identified is largely due to more checks being carried out by our helpline advisors, however this is only the tip of the iceberg, with hundreds of millions of pounds going unclaimed and returned to the government coffers each year.
“A key issue is a lack of awareness of entitlements, which is why we are encouraging more older people in Scotland to call our helpline for a free benefits check. The support and advice we are able to give can be life-changing.”
The charity said a range of benefits are not being claimed.
“Unclaimed entitlements include pension credit, housing benefit and carers allowance, as well as attendance allowance, which is paid to people of state pension age who have a disability and need extra help with personal care or supervision,” said Mr Sloan.
“The benefits system can be complex for people to navigate but we are here to help and provide expert advice.”
Age Scotland’s national helpline offers free benefit and entitlement checks on 0800 12 44 222.
