Almost two million pensioners are not making the most of state benefits that could ease the pressure on their pension funds, reveals a charity.
Many elderly people are not claiming their council tax benefit that
could cut their tax bill by £540 a year, and free up much needed cash from their stretched pension scheme, research by Age Concern found.
Government statistics suggest that £4.1 billion is failing to reach millions of pensioners every year, meaning that many continue to struggle to cover all their financial outgoings with their pension funds.
With this in mind the charity Age Concern is launching a new campaign aimed at encouraging pensioners to make the most of their rights to claim benefits.
Gordon Lishman, the director-general of Age Concern, says it's "really worrying" that many elderly are missing out on these payments.
"Millions of pensioners across the UK are struggling to manage on a really low, fixed income and are increasingly anxious about paying their bills," he said.
He added that his charity can also provide people with benefit checks to help financially stretched pensioners find out whether they are missing out on any state help that could see their fixed pension income go a little further.
Pensioners missing out on help that could ease pressure on pensions
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Pensioners missing out on help that could ease pressure on pensions
Mon, 10 Apr 2006
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