Photo: © 2009 AAP/JULIAN SMITH
The Australia Institute's Missing Out study found that $623 million was going unclaimed each year across four types of Centrelink payments alone.
Around 168,000 Australians are missing out on entitlements, and research fellow David Baker points the finger at government red tape and social stigma.
"[People are discouraged by] the complexity of long forms and understanding the criteria for qualifying for benefits and then [the] stigma," he told the ABC.
"Our research found that one in four concession card holders are either embarrassed or don't like to use their card."
