The latest figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show that in February 2022, nearly 12.5 millions people across the UK were receiving State Pension payments, including 1.1 million living abroad and 992,052 in Scotland.
Of the overall UK total, there are 10.1 million older people receiving Basic State Pension payments of up to £141.85 per week, compared to 2.4 million getting New State Pension payments, which are worth up to £185.15 each week. Worryingly, there are over 1.9 million people receiving less than £100 per week in State Pension payments and just under 1.5 million of these are women.
However, Helen Morrissey, senior pensions and retirement analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown warns at least some of those on the lowest State Pension payments could be missing out on a DWP benefit worth more than £3,300 each year in financial support, discounts and other benefits.
Ms Morrissey explained: “At least some of them could be helped by applying for Pension Credit, a benefit designed to top up the income of the poorest pensioners which also acts as a gateway to other benefits such as help with NHS costs and a free TV licence for the over 75s.
“The UK Government held a Day of Action in June designed to boost awareness of this much under-claimed benefit to help more people access this extra money. We hope to see a surge in the number of claimants when the next batch of data is published.”
Ms Morrissey added: “Some of these people will have other pensions they can use to supplement their income but those who don’t face incredibly difficult times as the costs of essentials like fuel and food continue to soar.”
She also highlighted how women continue to close the gender State Pension gap with average incomes up to £165.05 per week for the new State Pension and £146.70 for the old State Pension – up from £160.11 and £141.98 the previous year.
Five ways to boost your State Pension payments
Helen Morrissey shares her top five tips to help increase your finances before and after you reach State Pension age.
Claim Pension Credit
If you are over State Pension age and on a low income then you should check whether you are eligible for Pension Credit - use the handy online calculator on GOV.UK here.
Pension Credit tops up your weekly income to £182.60 if you’re single and £278.70 in joint income if you have a partner.
It can also entitle you to other benefits such as help with Council Tax payments and a free TV licence for those aged over 75 - find out more here.
Check your State Pension forecast
Go online and check your State Pension entitlement on the ‘Check your State Pension forecast’ page on the GOV.UK website here.
This will also tell you your State Pension age - when you can officially retire and start collecting payments.
Claim Child Benefit
Women in particular miss out on valuable State Pension credits when they are at home looking after children. However, if they claim Child Benefit, they will receive National Insurance credits that count towards their State Pension. Many women have missed out on this in the past because their husband claimed the Child Benefit rather than themselves.
Others missed out when they opted out of Child Benefit after the introduction of the High-Income Child Benefit Tax Charge. If you claim Child Benefit in your name, then you will get the National Insurance credit towards your State Pension.
Specified Adult Childcare Credit
Are you under State Pension age and looking after a family member under the age of 12 while their parent or main carer goes back to work?
If this is the case, you could qualify for National Insurance credits under Specified Adult Childcare Credit as the working parent essentially transfers their NI credit to you.
There are other situations where you are receiving benefits and you can still claim National Insurance credits. For example, if you are off work sick on Statutory Sick Pay. It is always worth checking to see if you may be entitled.
Buy National Insurance credits
If you can spare the cash you can plug gaps in your National Insurance record by buying voluntary class 3 NI contributions.
Buying a full extra year costs around £800 but it’s worth checking with DWP before you do so to make sure you will benefit from the extra contributions.
To keep up to date with the latest State Pension news, join our Money Saving Scotland Facebook page here, or subscribe to our newsletter which goes out three times each week - sign up here.
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