At least £15bn of benefits left unclaimed last year with 45% of people never checking entitlement
dailyrecord.co.ukunclaimed benefits.Turn2Us said that this increases the risk of individuals being pushed into financial hardship or even poverty.The research also found out that almost half (45%) of people have never checked their benefit entitlement.According to the research, institutional stigma, cultural shame and negative media representation of benefit claimants were some of the most common barriers.Proportionately, pensioners are the least likely to check what benefits they can claim, with 63% of them never having checked what they might be eligible for.They are also the least likely to claim benefits they are entitled to, with 1 in 3 missing out on Pension Credit and an amount of £1.8bn left unclaimed.Similarly, 52% of those aged between 45-54 have.
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