Owning a home or having savings does not necessarily mean a pensioner cannot receive Pension Credit. That is one of the main messages of a new campaign announced by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) on 13 October 2026. The department is encouraging people on low incomes to check whether they qualify for the benefit, which it says is worth more than £4,500 a year on average.
Pension Credit tops up the income of pensioners on low incomes. The campaign does not introduce a new payment or change the rules: its aim is to help more people access support that already exists. The £4,500 figure quoted by DWP is an average, not a guaranteed amount for everyone who applies.
Leaflets planned for seven areas
DWP plans to deliver 660,000 leaflets to households in areas with a high proportion of pensioners on low incomes. The materials are due to reach Glasgow, Powys, Stockton-on-Tees, inland Cornwall, Birmingham, East Suffolk and Manchester. This is a planned distribution, not confirmation that deliveries have been completed.
The leaflets will explain how to apply for Pension Credit and how to help a loved one make a claim. They will also challenge the belief that owning a home or having savings automatically rules someone out. Neither, however, means an automatic entitlement to support: applicants must still meet the eligibility criteria.
The campaign will extend beyond letterboxes. The department also plans advertising in newspapers, on television and radio, and on social media, alongside a partnership with ITV quiz show The Chase.
Support that not everyone claims
According to DWP, around 1.4 million pensioner households already receive Pension Credit. Meanwhile, Independent Age, quoted in the announcement, estimates that more than a million older people on low incomes who were entitled to the benefit did not receive it in 2023/24. The total value of unclaimed support was estimated at £2.5 billion. Those figures relate to that period, rather than providing a current picture for 2026.
The department also points to the results of its 2025 campaign, saying an additional 33,500 applications were recorded following it. That figure refers to applications, not benefits awarded.
For pensioners and their families, the campaign’s central message is straightforward: do not assume that owning a home or having money put aside closes the door to Pension Credit. DWP encourages people who need help checking their eligibility or applying to contact Independent Age or the advice organisation Citizens Advice. Details of the campaign are available in the DWP announcement on GOV.UK.
