Proposed State Pension age changes may mean you need to work longer before being able to retire

Christmas Day is on a Sunday this year which means Boxing Day is on a Monday, however, the bank holiday status for that date has been moved to Tuesday, December 27. This means that State Pension payments and benefits for older people delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions which are due on those dates will be made earlier.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has announced it expects to complete the correction exercise into State Pension underpayments for two groups of claimants by the end of next year. The Pensions Minister said on Monday the exercise for those on CAT BL and CAT D should be completed in 2023, but could run through to “late 2024”

There are 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) who will see their payments go up by 10.1% next year. The uprating will come into effect on April 10, 2023.

State Pension is a contributions-based benefit that provides essential financial support for over 12.4 million older people across the UK, including some 981,399 living in Scotland. However, research by Age UK has found that an estimated 1.25 million women who are claiming State Pension are living below the breadline - equivalent to one in five.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed it has no plans to allow people diagnosed with a terminal illness to access their State Pension prior to retirement age, even if they have accrued sufficient National Insurance Contributions.The official age of retirement is 66 for both men and women and at least 10 years’ worth of National Insurance Contributions are needed for any State Pensions payment.

Christmas Day falls on a Sunday this year which means Boxing Day is on a Monday, however, the bank holiday status for that date has been moved to Tuesday, December 27. This means that benefits and payments from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) or HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) which are due on those dates will be made earlier.

The latest figures from Social Security Scotland show that at the end of February, 2022 there were 124,081 people living in Scotland receiving additional financial support through Attendance Allowance. Across the UK, there are now more than 1.5 million people over State Pension age getting either £61.85 or £92.40 each week through the benefit.

The new Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride has confirmed that the outcome of the State Pension age review will be published before May 2023. The review will consider a wide range of evidence, including findings from two independent reports, to assess whether the rules about State Pension age remain ‘appropriate’.

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 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.

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).

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.

Humza Yousaf has written to the UK Health Secretary Steve Barclay asking for more funding to help avert industrial action later this winter.