Rothesay Foundation donates £2.47m to expand Age UK benefits check service
Following the success of its 2023 pilot campaign which helped over 4,500 pensioners find out if they were eligible for state benefits, the Rothesay Foundation has provided £2.47 million of additional funding to Age UK to significantly expand its benefits check service.
Age UK’s service provides free and confidential benefits checks to help older people in need find out and receive the state benefits they could be entitled to. The Rothesay Foundation’s pilot programme with Age UK identified that 76% of those in the pilot group who accessed the benefits check service were eligible for benefits they were not claiming. From this pilot group alone, an average of £6,600 in additional benefits was identified per person, amounting to a total of £23 million in benefits for older people in need.
The new funding provided by the Rothesay Foundation will significantly expand the benefits check service, helping over 11,000 additional older people check whether they are eligible for unclaimed benefits through Age UK’s free national Advice Line. It will also expand the benefits check service in 11 communities across England and Wales through local Age UKs and provide dedicated staff to guide older people through the application process.
The expanded service will complement the Government’s Pension Credit Awareness Drive and aims to uncover up to £55 million more in annual benefits for eligible pensioners.