Older state pensioners who are missing out on the £440 boost to their state pension payments are being offered a different, £556 boost instead.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has not announced any change to the planned triple lock boost that will be uplifting state pensioners’ payouts by 4.8%, based on the wage growth figures for this year, so they are going ahead as promised.
The triple lock, which has also been confirmed to be staying in place, sees state pension payments automatically increased each April by one of three metrics: wage growth, inflation, or 2.5%, whichever is highest of the three.
Older state pensioners currently receive £176.45 per week, and this will be increased by 4.8% to approximately £184.90, while new state pensioners will see theirs rise from the current £230.25 to approximately £241.30 per week.
Older state pensioners are those who began receiving their state pension before April 2016.
But the full £184.90 will only be given to older state pensioners who have a full National Insurance record. Those with missing or incomplete records will receive less than that.
However, older pensioners – even those who have a full NI record – can use Pension Credit to top up their weekly payments to almost the same amount as new state pensioners.
And Pension Credit is also being increased today by 4.8%, also set to take effect from April 2026.
It means that older state pensioners can get up to £566 extra from Pension Credit each year, increasing the maximum weekly payment from the current £227.10 to approximately £238 per week.
This means that an older state pensioner could take the extra £440 in their basic state pension, taking their payments up to £184.90, can also grab the extra £566 from Pension Credit on top, for an extra £1,006 per year.
To be eligible for Pension Credit, you must have no other income. If you have savings over £10,000, your Pension Credit payment is then reduced for every £500 you have over £10,000.
