Thousands of pensioners could be missing out on extra financial support alongside their state pension.
The state pension is available for everyone who has reached the age of 66 to claim.
However, recent analysis suggests around 150,000 people are missing out on claiming credits which could increase their UK State Pension allowance during retirement - reports the Daily Record.
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A Freedom of Information request by Quilter found that just 5,209 people claimed Carer's Credit in 2020, a drop from 6,489 in the previous year. This credit counts towards state pension entitlement.
Quilter said this is despite the increasing number of people who became unpaid carers last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In June last year, figures showed the number of unpaid carers increased by an estimated 4.5 million to 13.6 million across the UK, according to six charities supporting Carers Week.
In April this year, Quilter found only 20% of the approximate overall eligible population have claimed Carers Credit to date, as just 40,673 carers have claimed.
In 2015, the Department for Work and Pensions estimated around 200,000 carers are eligible for the credit with women making up a substantial proportion of claimants.
People who don't get Carer's Allowance but do care for someone may be eligible for Carer's Credit, which counts towards state pension entitlement, as does Carer's Allowance.
For Carer's Credit, a person must be aged between 16 and state pension age. They must also look after one or more people for at least 20 hours per week.
Income, savings or investments will not affect eligibility for Carer's Credit.
Quilter explained how each annual credit missed could cost a person 1/35th of the value of the state pension, this works out at around £260 per year or £5,200 over the course of a typical 20-year retirement.
Olivia Kennedy, financial planner at Quilter said: “In this unprecedented year it is inevitable that we will have seen a dramatic increase in the already sizeable unpaid carer population.
"Throughout the pandemic they have continued to prop up support services.
"However, these people sometimes don’t even recognise themselves as carers or the extent of the sacrifice they are making.
"Thinking of their own long-term financial wellbeing is crucial and the state pension is a big part of that, particularly as it’s money they rightfully deserve."
