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  "path": "/money/pension-crisis-poverty-boost-credit",
  "publishedAt": "2026-03-10T16:53:43.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "Labour's pension system overhaul will see millions of retirement pots moved without consent",
    "DWP's state pension benefit worth £4,300 not claimed by 36 per cent of eligible Britons",
    "Inheritance tax to reach 152 more areas as pensions count toward estates. Are you affected?",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nFresh analysis from Age UK reveals that 1.1 million female pensioners across the country are living in poverty, with nearly half a million single women failing to claim financial support they are legally entitled to receive.\n\nThe charity's examination of Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) data shows that 470,000 single female pensioners are not receiving Pension Credit, despite being eligible for the benefit worth an average of £2,600 annually.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThis figure dwarfs the number of single men missing out on the same entitlement, which stands at 150,000, while 200,000 pensioner couples are also failing to claim.\n\nThe financial circumstances of older women are typically shaped by their entire working lives, not just their current situation.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nWomen generally retire with lower individual incomes than men, a disparity rooted in historically lower average earnings throughout their careers.\n\nTime spent away from employment or in part-time roles while raising children significantly reduces pension contributions and savings.\n\nCaring responsibilities for elderly or disabled relatives and friends further compound this effect, creating gaps in employment that directly impact retirement finances.\n\nSingle female pensioners face a considerably greater risk of poverty compared to pensioner couples, according to the charity's findings.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n### LATEST DEVELOPMENTS\n\n\n\n\n  * Labour's pension system overhaul will see millions of retirement pots moved without consent\n  * DWP's state pension benefit worth £4,300 not claimed by 36 per cent of eligible Britons\n  * Inheritance tax to reach 152 more areas as pensions count toward estates. Are you affected?\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nDespite the number of female pensioners falling by 740,000 since 2010-11 due to increases in the State Pension age, the total living in poverty has remained stubbornly fixed at 1.1 million.\n\nThe situation appears to be deteriorating rather than improving, with DWP analysis showing Pension Credit take-up actually declined in the most recent year on record.\n\nAn additional 120,000 pensioner households have joined those not receiving the support they qualify for, while the average weekly amount going unclaimed has risen from £37 to £50.\n\nThe total sum of unclaimed Pension Credit now stands at £2.1billion. Nearly two in five eligible pensioner households, representing 38 per cent or approximately one million people, are not accessing this support.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nBeyond the direct financial boost, those missing out also forfeit access to additional assistance that Pension Credit unlocks, including council tax reductions, help with energy costs, and free television licences for those aged over 75.\n\nCaroline Abrahams CBE, charity director at Age UK, said: \"As Mother's Day approaches, and with the Middle East conflict potentially threatening higher prices for energy and other essentials further down the track, there'll never be a better time for older women to check whether they are missing out on financial entitlements that could ease their anxieties about making ends meet.\"\n\nShe added: \"Many older women are intensely self-reliant, reluctant to ask for help, and conscious that there are others who may be worse off than they are. That's why some gentle prompting to look into their eligibility for Pension Credit from those they trust is so important.\"\n\nDuring January 2026, the charity's benefits team conducted 538 entitlement checks, identifying an average of £6,593 in potential additional annual income per eligible person.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards:The GB News Editorial Charter **",
  "title": "Pension 'crisis': 1.1 MILLION Britons trapped in poverty as thousands missing out on £2,600 a year boost"
}