Updated 30 November 2012
The proportion of State Pension claims completed online – for information
The proportion of State Pension claims completed on line is no longer a Business Plan indicator, but in the interests of transparency the Department is continuing to publish the data.
For State Pension:
- claims completed online means – claims that were submitted via the State Pension online portal and created in the Customer Account Management system
- all claims – means all claims to State Pension.
Proportion of State Pension claims submitted online
| Month | State Pension |
|---|---|
| October 2012 | 14.8% |
| September 2012 | 11.3% |
Historical Data on the indicator:
- Proportion of State Pension claims completed online (16KB )
- CSV file – Proportion of State Pension claims completed online (1KB ) CSV
In order to offer a convenient and modern service for those approaching State Pension Age, the Department has made a number of changes.
From a customer perspective the best service of all is one where they do not need to provide information the Department has already got. For those customers who are claiming one of the Department’s working age benefits as they approach State Pension Age, the Department is now using existing information to help assess their entitlement to State Pension. Between April 2012 and September 2012, over 40,800 cases have already been considered in this way and these are not included in the percentage take-up figures for State Pension Online.
For other people approaching State Pension Age, the next best thing is usually the convenience and control of an online service. 72% of State Pension claimants already have access to the internet and could therefore benefit from this service.
State Pension Online is a relatively new service and the Department has used its first year of operation to learn how customers use it. During this period the Department has not been raising awareness of the service, except during December when the Department tested including information about the service in the letter sent to people approaching State Pension Age.
The Department has recently introduced some improvements to the service and is raising awareness of it through:
- a redesign of the customer experience by setting clear customer expectations at the initial stage of applying for State Pension Online
- making it more intuitive and easier to use – helping customers who begin a claim online to submit it online
- improving the identity verification service to enable more customers to register for State Pension Online
- informing customers about the online service, including through the letter and booklet the Department sends to everyone approaching State Pension Age
- ensuring that staff are confident in selling the benefits of transacting with the Department online and know how to do so.
The Department closely monitors the service and has a continuous improvement plan to support the development of the State Pension Online service.
