DWP wants people to make an important check
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has issued an update, urging people born between two specific dates to make an all-important check. The State Pension is a regular payment most people can claim from DWP when they reach a certain age.
The full rate of the new State Pension is £230.25 a week, although not everyone is entitled to this amount. Men born before April 6, 1951, and women born before April 6, 1953, receive a basic State Pension, and this is £176.45 per week.
In a new update on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday, DWP addressed some people who are aged 64 and 65, and said: “Born between 6 April 1960 and 5 March 1961? Check your State Pension age today.”
An accompanying link takes people to DWP’s State Pension age check tool. Not only can this be used to check when you’ll reach State Pension age, but also to find out if and when you’ll qualify for Pension Credit, and when you’ll be eligible for free bus travel.
You can also check your State Pension forecast through the HMRC app. The State Pension age is currently 66 for both men and women, but it will gradually rise to 67 for those born on or after April 1960, and it may go up again further down the line.
The State Pension age is expected to rise to 68 before 2046. As well as needing to reach pension age order to be eligible for the new State Pension, you’ll also need 10 qualifying years on your National Insurance record.
A “qualifying year” is one in which you were paying National Insurance contributions while working, paying voluntary National Insurance contributions, or getting National Insurance credits, for example if you were a parent or carer, ill, or unemployed.
According to DWP, you may also qualify if you’ve lived or worked abroad, or paid reduced rate National Insurance for married women. And how much State Pension you will receive depends on how many qualifying years you have accrued.
