How 100,000 people may have a hidden state pension...

[dutchman]

Nearly everyone over 80 is entitled to £4,000 a year - but many have no idea or think they’re not eligible



More than 100,000 retirees could be losing out on thousands of pounds every year because they have not been told they can now claim a state pension.

State pension rules mean that those who do not qualify for the benefit when they reach retirement age could still later be entitled — but the Government is not informing them if and when they can claim.

Analysis by former pension minister Sir Steve Webb today reveals that more than 250,000 people over 70 are not collecting any state pension whatsoever.

Yet many will now be entitled to claim at least £82.45 a week — simply because they are aged over 80.

The new figures show at least 100,000 over 80s receive no pension at all, according to the new report from consultancy Lane Clark and Peacock (LCP).

It is also feared that many wives without pensions are missing out because they do not know they can claim a rate based on their husband's work record.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is now being urged to do more to ensure that everyone entitled to a pension is aware of their right to claim.

Someone may not qualify for a pension when they reach state pension age if they have not paid enough National Insurance contributions — perhaps because they did not work enough, or if they spent most of their working lives in another country.

But those who retired before April 2016 under the old state pension system can still claim an income later on in retirement.

All UK residents over 80 can claim £82.45 a week, more than £4,000 a year, if they have lived in the country for ten of the last 20 years — irrespective of their work record.

Wives can also claim a rate worth 60 per cent of their husband's basic pension, while widows and divorcees can collect the same rate as their husband did.

Today's report reveals that while there are 8.78 million in Great Britain aged 70 or over, only 8.53 million are receiving a state pension — a difference of a quarter of a million people.

Some of the missing pensioners could be those over 70s who have deferred their state pension to claim later, or those who receive certain disability or carer benefits that can reduce their entitlement.

The DWP has now hired 500 extra staff to trawl their records and identify all women being underpaid.

But Sir Steve says this search is unlikely to include the hundreds of thousands of retirees who do not collect a state pension at all, but could now be entitled to.

[dutchman]

All UK residents over 80 can claim £82.45 a week

It's deducted from other benefits though so the claimant won't necessarily be any better off.