A new report from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has revealed that in February 2022, almost 12.5 million people were receiving State Pension payments across the UK.
This figure also includes 1.1 milion people living abroad, and 992,052 living in Scotland, the Daily Record reports. Of the overall total, there are 10.1 million pensioners receiving the Basic State Pension payment, which can reach up to £141.85 weekly.
This is compared to 2.4 million people receiving the New State Pension payments, which are worth up to £185.15 a week. Also, there are over 1.9 million people receiving less than £100 per week in State Pension payments. Just under 1.5 million of these people are women.
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However, the senior pensions and retirement analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, Helen Morrissey, has warned that those on the lowest State Pension payments could be missing out on an important DWP payment. This benefit could be worth more than £3,000 a year in financial help, discounts and other support.
Helen 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.”
She also 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.”
Mrs Morrissey also explained that women are continuing to close the gender State Pension gap with average incomes up to £165.05 weekly for the new State Pension, and £146.70 for the old State Pension – up from £160.11 and £141.98 the previous year. Listed below are the top five tips from Helen on how to increase your finances before and after you reach State Pension age.
Claiming Pension Credit
If you are over the State Pension age and on a low income, you should be checking if you are eligible for Pension Credit. You can do so by using the GOV.UK online calculator 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. The benefit can also entitle you to other support, such as Council Tax help and a free TV licence for those aged over 75.
Check your State Pension forecast
You can also go online and check what you could be entitled to on State Pension. Visit the 'Check your State Pension forecast' page on the GOV.UK website here.
The website will also tell you your State Pension age - which is when you can officially retire and start collecting payments.
Claiming Child Benefit
Particularly, women 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 people have missed out on this in the past as their partner 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
If the following question applies to you, you could be applying for National Insurance credits under Specified Adult Childcare credit, as the working parent essentially transfers their NI credit to you:
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?
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.
Buying National Insurance Credits
If it is possible, you can plug gaps in your National Insurance record by buying voluntary class three 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.
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