Thousands of pensioners ‘missing out on energy bill support’

Thousands of pensioners who are struggling with energy bills are missing out on financial help they’re entitled to get.

According to Age UK London, 38% of older Londoners are worried about getting into energy debt over unpaid bills.

But at the same time, four in ten people who are eligible for pension credit aren’t claiming it.

What is pension credit?

Pension credit provides people on low incomes who are over state pension age with extra money to help with living costs.

It can also entitle them to other types of support.

For example, winter fuel payments are currently limited to people receiving pension credit or other means-tested benefits.

Age UK London believes many people aren’t applying for pension credit because they “struggle with lengthy government forms, digital-only applications, and a lack of clear guidance on eligibility”.

“It's vital that older Londoners struggling with heating their homes receive the support they deserve,” said Abi Wood, chief executive of the charity.

Government aiming to boost take-up of pension credit

Last year, the government launched a campaign to raise awareness of pension credit and encourage eligible people to apply.

And so far, this has proved successful.

According to the Department for Work and Pensions, 117,800 pension credit claims were awarded between 29 July 2024 and 23 February 2025.

That’s up from 72,000 between 31 July 2023 and 25 Feb 2024 - an increase of 64%.

The government now wants to build on the success of this campaign by looking at other ways of reaching people eligible to claim pension credit, such as:

• writing to pensioners who make a new claim for housing benefit who appear to be entitled to pension credit
• researching what factors encourage people to apply and what’s stopping them
• working across departments including HMRC to identify pensioners who might be eligible for pension credit

How do I claim pension credit?

You can make a claim for pension credit on the government website.

Pension credit claims can also be made through the freephone telephone number - 0800 99 1234 - or with a paper application form.

If you’re not sure if you qualify for pension credit, give us a ring and we’ll check for you. 

We can also help you find out if you're receiving all the benefits you're entitled to, or you can use our free benefits calculator to see if you might be eligible for additional support.