State Pension provides essential financial support for nearly 12.5 million older people across Great Britain, including 981,399 living in Scotland.
This regular payment is available for those who have reached the UK Government’s eligible retirement age, which is now 66 for both men and women, and have paid at least 10 years' worth of National Insurance Contributions.
State Pension is not paid automatically, it is a contributory benefit which has to be claimed by those of eligible age, because some people choose to defer making a claim in order to keep working and contribute more towards their pension pot.
However, many older people may be missing out on an additional benefit payment they could be eligible to claim which is worth either £247.40 or £369.60 every four weeks.