DWP to make State Pension changes to help Brits receive 'higher' payments

The UK Government has announced an upgrade to the 'Check Your State Pension' online service in a bid to help Brits get full State Pension payments when they retire. At present, the full new State Pension stands at £230.25 weekly, adding up to around £11,973 throughout the 2025/26 financial year.

Qualification for the State Pension is linked to National Insurance Contributions (NICs), with a minimum of 10 years' worth to be eligible for any pension sum and about 35 years for the full rate. Extra years might be necessary if you were 'contracted out' - with in-depth information accessible on GOV.UK, .

The enables anyone to make voluntary National Insurance contributions to bridge any gaps in their NIC history. Treasury minister James Murray says the planned amendments will improve the user experience.

In a to Parliament, the minister recently outlined a series of new simplified measures and updated guidance for the self-employed. It is also for those paying the High Income Child Benefit Charge, and anyone who wishes to maximise their State Pension by purchasing voluntary National Insurance Contributions.

"The government also intends to further enhance the Check Your State Pension forecast service, which supports people who want to pay voluntary National Insurance contributions to fill gaps in their National Insurance record," the statement from April 28 reads.

"These measures build on the government’s announcement at Spring Statement 2025 that from Summer 2025, employed individuals who become liable to the High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC) will be able to opt to pay HICBC directly through PAYE, without the need to register for Self Assessment."

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The State Pension age will rise from 66 to 67 for both men and women between 2026 and 2028, with a subsequent increase to 68 expected to be implemented between 2044 and 2046, according to .

This implies that people born between March 6, 1961, and April 5, 1977, will be able to start claiming their State Pension as soon as they reach the age of 67.

However, a recent study by Just Group has highlighted a worrying trend. Over a third of retirees did not check their State Pension forecast before retiring, even though for 1.2 million households, the State Pension constitutes the primary source of income during retirement.

The survey, which questioned more than 1,000 people either already retired or approaching retirement age, revealed that 38% had not looked at their pension forecast. This figure increased to 40% among those aged 55 to 64 who were yet to reach State Pension age, and 46% among early retirees.

Among those who did examine their prospective State Pension income, about 17% found out that it would be at least £250 less per year than they had expected. On the flip side, 9% were pleasantly surprised to discover that their pension would be higher than anticipated by a similar margin.

Commenting on the findings, Stephen Lowe, group communications director at Just Group, said: "It’s easy to see why people may assume they’ll simply get the full State Pension, but for many people this won’t be the case. The last thing these households need when they come to retire is the nasty surprise that their State Pension is less than they thought.

"The government offers a State Pension forecast service and we urge anyone approaching retirement to use it - ideally in advance of beginning to retire. It will tell you if you are likely to receive less State Pension than you thought and that will give you the opportunity to take steps to increase what you will actually receive."

You can check your State Pension forecast online at GOV.UK

State Pension payments 2025/26

Full New State Pension

• Weekly payment: £230.25
• Four-weekly payment: £921
• Annual amount: £11,973

Full Basic State Pension

• Weekly payment: £176.45
• Four-weekly payment: £705.80
• Annual amount: £9,175