Blog: Check in, cash out - don't miss out

Every year, older people in Scotland are missing out on hundreds of millions of pounds worth of social security payments – such as Pension Credit, Council Tax Reduction and Attendance Allowance

For Pension Credit alone, 123,000 eligible Scottish households are estimated to be missing out, which adds up to a whopping £332 million not getting to lower income older people who are entitled to receive it.

As the cost of living rises, ensuring that older people claim every penny of social security they are entitled to has become even more vital. Not only does this put extra money in their pockets, but it could open the door to them receiving further financial support from the government to offset the cost of living.

Our Check in, Cash out campaign aims to raise awareness and increase take-up of the social security available to help older people live well. Age Scotland can help you to find out if you might qualify – and it could take as little as 10 minutes to get an idea of this using our online benefits calculator. 

If you think you could be missing out, check in today to see if you could cash out:

Contact our helpline for a free benefits entitlement check and advice on how to claim – 0800 12 44 222, Monday to Friday 9am-5pm
Find information on social security payments, including eligibility and how to apply, using our free guides age.scot/benefitguides
Sign up to one of our free training workshops to find out more about social security age.scot/benefitworkshops
Use our online benefits calculator to find out what you could be owed. It’s free to use and the details you provide are kept anonymous. age.scot/benefitscalculator

Even if this isn’t relevant to you, please share these resources with friends, family, and others in your community to help us ensure no older person misses out on what they are entitled to.

We also have various leaflets, posters, and promotional materials available to help spread the word about our campaign and how we can help older people to check in to see if they can cash out. If you work with or support older people or if you attend a group who you think would benefit from resources to boost awareness of social security, get in touch today by emailing campaigns@agescotland.org.uk or call on 0333 323 2400.