New figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show that £209.3 million in State Pension underpayments have been repaid to 31,817 pensioners since the correction exercise began in January 2021 and the end of October 2022.
11.11.2022 - 12:27 / dailyrecord.co.uk
A pensions expert is warning 12.5 million older people across the UK to prepare for a financial blow next week when Chancellor Jeremy Hunt delivers the Autumn Statement. Ray Black, managing director of chartered financial planning firm, Money Minder, suggests there may be “continued restrictions on State Pension uprating”, higher taxes and more controversially, an increase to National Insurance contributions from April announced on November 17.
The Triple Lock rule is the UK Government’s guarantee that State Pensions grow in line with whichever is highest out of earnings, inflation or 2.5%. Earlier this week, Work and Pensions Secretary, Mel Stride said that pensioners will be kept to the “forefront” as difficult spending decisions are taken by the UK Government.
His comments come as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak considers raising State Pensions and benefits in line with inflation in a move that would likely usher in deeper public spending cuts elsewhere and higher tax rises. Treasury sources insisted no decisions have been taken, but did not deny a report in the Times stating they would avoid real-terms cuts on pensions and benefits.
Speaking on Times Radio Mr Stride assured pensioners that the UK Government would seek to protect them through the months ahead.
He said: “Pensioners are absolutely at the forefront of the group that we want to really protect as much as we can through these difficult times.”
But he re-iterated that there are “tough choices” coming for the Chancellor.
A current poll on the Daily Record Money Saving Scotland Facebook group does not show confidence in the Triple Lock guarantee being honoured with 86% of respondents not expecting to see State Pension or benefits uprated by the 10% September
New figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show that £209.3 million in State Pension underpayments have been repaid to 31,817 pensioners since the correction exercise began in January 2021 and the end of October 2022.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced that it will continue to encourage more than 11 million older people to check if they qualify for an annual income top-up worth, on average, more than £3,500 throughout December and the new year.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed that more than 11.6 million pensioner households across the UK, including around one million in Scotland, have started to receive a one-off payment worth up to £600 to help with their heating bills this winter.
An online petition calling for a minimum weekly State Pension payment of £380 for all men and women over the age of 60 is set to be debated in Parliament next month. The petition, created by Michael Thompson, has received more than 107,980 signatures of support from people across the UK and will now be debated by MPs on Monday December 12, 2022.
Thousands of wealthy Scots would pay more income tax under plans being seriously considered by the Government.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt confirmed during his Autumn Statement that the UK Government’s review of the State Pension age will be published in early 2023 and is scheduled to be released in May. At the start of this year, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) launched a second review of the State Pension age, which is now 66 for men and women across the UK.
Millions of people across the UK claiming disability benefits from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Social Security Scotland are set for a bumper payment boost next year following the Autumn Statement.
Basic and New State Pension payments will increase next year by 10.1% after weeks of uncertainty for nearly 12.5 million older people across the UK. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) had declined to commit to whether the Triple Lock rule would return for the 2023/24 financial year after a temporary pause due to the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic.
State Pension payments are set to increase by 10.1% from next April for merely 12.5 million people across the UK, including 992,052 living in Scotland. However, despite a record-breaking rise in payments of the contributory benefit, over 1.8 million pensioners are receiving less than £100 per week in State Pension payments.
An estimated 19.2 million families and 39.8 million individuals across the UK currently in receipt of State Pension or benefits from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) will see their payments go up by 10.1% next year.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has announced that State Pension, Pension Credit and benefits will be uprated in line with inflation next year. Delivering his Autumn Statement to the House of Commons on Thursday, Mr Hunt confirmed an increase of 10.1% from next April at a cost of £11 billion for the UK Government.
The UK has officially fallen into a recession, which will push more than 500,000 people into unemployment, according to a new forecast from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced a series of new cost of living payments to help millions of households across the country mitigate soaring inflation and ever-increasing energy bills. The new cost of living support package is worth £26 billion in 2023-24, in addition to benefits uprating, which is worth £11 billion to working age households and people with disabilities.
The most recent report by the public spending watchdog on the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) accounts has revealed that around 237,000 people over State Pension age have been underpaid a total of £1.46 billion. The underpayments average around £8,900 per person.
New figures released by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) reveal that more than four million children are living in families which receive Universal Credit. The official data shows that in August, some 4,030,796 children were living in households receiving the benefit - an increase of 124,471 since May when the figure was 3,906,325.
There are more than 20 million people across the UK claiming benefits or State Pension from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). Some benefits such as Universal Credit can be a lifeline for those out of work or on a low income, providing crucial financial support to cope with daily living costs.
Jeremy Hunt will deliver the Autumn Statement on Thursday, where he is expected to raise taxes and cut public spending in order to balance the books. The Chancellor of the Exchequer has warned that everyone will have to pay "a bit more tax" and that "sacrifices" will have to be made following the disastrous mini-budget in September.
The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show that Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation reached 10.1% in September. This matches the 40-year high inflation hit in July and remains well above the UK Government’s target of 2%.
A new report from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) suggests that fraud and error levels in benefits spending at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is ‘unacceptably high’ and said that more must be done to get a grip on the billions of pounds being lost every year. The watchdog discovered that DWP overpaid an “eye-watering” £8.6 billion across benefits in 2021-22, with £6.5 billion of that figure due to fraud.
The latest figures shared by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show that in February there were 22 million people across the UK claiming at least one benefit. That number includes nearly 12.5 million older people now in receipt of State Pension payments, a contributory benefit only available to those of retirement age with at least 10 years’ worth of National Insurance Contributions.