Older people urged to check if they are due weekly State Pension boost of up to £182

A heating expert has warned people in the UK about some common energy myths that he claims everyone should stop believing.

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.

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.

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.

State Pension provides essential financial support every four weeks for more than 12.5 million people across the UK, including 981,399 living in Scotland. This regular payment of up to £185.15 per week for the Full, new State Pension or £141.85 per week for the basic old State Pension (Category A or B) is available for those who have reached the UK Government’s eligible retirement age, which increased to 66 for both men and women in October 2020.

Carer’s Allowance is a benefit delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to people across the UK who are looking after a friend or family member for at least 35 hours each week. Eligible claimants receive a weekly payment of £69.70, but if you live in Scotland, you will also receive Carer’s Allowance Supplement, an additional payment of £245.70 which is made twice each year - the next one is due in December.

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%.

Police are urging members of the public in the Isle of Lewis to check sheds and outbuildings for a missing woman from Ireland. Susan Forde has been missing for four weeks after travelling from the Republic of Ireland to Scotland in October.

The latest statistics from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show that in February this year there were 12.5 million people across the UK receiving State Pension payments, a contributory benefit which provides essential financial support every four weeks for those who have paid at least 10 years' worth of National Insurance Contributions.

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.

People aged over-50 are facing a lifetime of financial insecurity as a report reveals which age group is being hit the hardest by the cost of living crisis. Research from Edinburgh University’s Smart Data Foundry found economic inactivity rates have risen by a third for the over-50s age group since 2019.

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.

The UK Government has dismissed a call by Labour to extend eligibility for free vehicle tax to include people of State Pension age in receipt of Attendance Allowance. Labour MP Seema Malhotra asked the Chancellor of the Exchequer if any recent assessments had been made into the “potential merits” of doing so.

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.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has rejected a proposal from Labour to make the £324 means-tested cost of living payment available to households that are receiving State Pension, but are not eligible for Pension Credit.

State Pension currently provides essential financial support for nearly 12.5 million older people across the UK, including some 981,399 living in Scotland. This regular payment is available for those who have reached the UK Government’s eligible retirement age, which is now 66 for both men and women, and have paid at least 10 years of National Insurance contributions.