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BBC News
19-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
State Pension Underpayments
Call the Pension ServiceTelephone: 0800 731 0469Textphone: 0800 731 0464Relay UK, external (if you cannot hear or speak on the phone): 18001 then 0800 731 0469British Sign Language (BSL) video relay service, external if you're on a computer - find out how to use the service on mobile or tablet, externalWelsh language: 0800 731 0453Welsh language textphone: 0800 731 0456Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm (except public holidays)Find out about call charges, externalFor more information on the Pension Service check the government website here, external.
Daily Record
16-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
People on benefits need to report these changes to DWP to avoid overpayment and £50 penalty
The latest figures from the DWP show there are nearly 24 million people claiming at least one benefit. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) now pays benefits to around 23.7 million people across the UK. However, many of those claimants may be unaware that they need to report changes in their circumstances to ensure they keep getting the right amount of financial support. Failing to notify the relevant DWP department 'straight away' could result in a claim being paused, stopped or reduced. Guidance on states: 'If you do not report a change or a mistake, you might be paid too much. If you are, you might have to pay some of the money back. You might also have to pay a £50 penalty.' It also warns: 'If you deliberately do not report changes, you're committing benefit fraud.' Changes you need to report According to the official guidance, changes to be reported can include: changing your name or gender finding or finishing a job, or working different hours your income going up or down starting or stopping education, training or an apprenticeship moving house people moving into or out of the place you live (for example your partner, a child or lodger) the death of your partner or someone you live with having a baby starting or stopping caring for someone getting married or divorced starting or ending a civil partnership planning to go abroad for any length of time going into hospital, a care home or sheltered accommodation any changes to your medical condition or disability changing your doctor changes to your pension, savings, investments or property changes to other money you get (for example student loans or grants, sick pay or money you get from a charity) changes to the benefits you or anyone else in your house gets you or your partner getting back-pay (sometimes called 'arrears') for salary or earnings you're owed changes to your immigration status, if you're not a British citizen It adds: 'If you claim Child Benefit you also need to report changes to your child's circumstances.' Reporting a death If you need to report the death of someone who has been receiving the State Pension or benefits, you can use the 'Tell Us Once' service - find out more here. How to report a change Typically, you should contact the relevant department responsible for administering and delivering your benefit. It's also important to remember that if you get more than one benefit, you need to tell each department separately about the change. Universal Credit - Report changes using your Universal Credit online account if you have one or contact the Universal Credit helpline Pension Credit - Call the Pension Service helpline or report changes by post Attendance Allowance - Call the Attendance Allowance helpline Disability benefits - Call the Disability Service Centre to report changes if you get Disability Living Allowance (DLA), or Personal Independence Payment (PIP) Carer's Allowance - Report a change online or call the Carer's Allowance Unit Housing Benefit - Report a change to your local council Child Benefit - Report changes using the Child Benefit online service or call or write to the Child Benefit Office All other benefits - Report changes by calling Jobcentre Plus, you will need to have your National Insurance number when you call Full details with direct links to each department can be found on here. Earlier this week, DWP Transformation Minister Andrew Western, branded data revealing more than £9 billion in benefit overpayments due to fraud and error as 'staggering'. The latest official statistics said the total rate of benefit expenditure overpaid in the year to the end of March was £9.5 billion - with fraud accounting for most of that sum. However, the new figures from the DWP also show that over the same period, an estimated £1.2 billion was underpaid in benefits. Fraud accounted for £6.5 billion of the total overpayments figure in the year to March, down from £7.3 billion a year earlier. Claimant error was up year-on-year, accounting for £1.9 billion in the year to March, from £1.6 billion the previous year, while overpayments because of official error also rose to £1 billion from £0.8 billion the previous year. DWP said people under-declaring their earnings remained the main cause of fraud overpayments, followed by benefits claimants failing to declare living with a partner, and thirdly people under-declaring their financial assets or capital. The Department said it was able to recover some £1.1 billion of overpayments in the past year - £0.4 billion in Housing Benefit and the same amount in Universal Credit. In a written statement published alongside the figures on Thursday, Mr Western said: 'This Government made a manifesto commitment that it will safeguard taxpayers' money and not tolerate fraud or waste anywhere in public services. 'With welfare benefits paid to around 24 million people, the welfare system is a deliberate target for both organised crime groups and opportunistic individuals and it is vital that the Government continues to robustly tackle fraud to ensure support goes to those who need it most. 'We are taking further steps to minimise error, ensuring the right people are paid the right amount at the right time.'
Telegraph
12-05-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
‘I only receive half of the state pension. Am I entitled to more?'
Write to Pensions Doctor with your pension problem: pensionsdoctor@ Columns are published weekly. Hi Charlene, I have been arguing with the Pension Service (by post and over the phone), and during a recent conversation, I was told the justification of my reduced pension was due to 17 years of Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP). I was born in 1944 and was deducted from the 39 qualifying years under the old system, meaning I needed 22 qualifying years for a full pension. I only had 11 qualifying years, meaning my entitlement is 50pc. This is what I currently receive, and I consider this to be unfair and a silly argument. Having done some research, I believe that I'm entitled to more than just half. My National Insurance record confirmed I am entitled to 17 years HRP and that I've paid 11 qualifying years' worth of contributions. Does that not mean I have 28 qualifying years? With another three years of 'additional state pension', surely I should be getting far more than my current allowance? Kind regards, – Magdalena Dear Magdalena, As you've pointed out, you received the 'old' basic state pension, and would have reached your state pension age of 60 in 2004. Women born before 1950 needed 39 qualifying years of National Insurance to get the full basic state pension. Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) was introduced to protect entitlement to the state pension for parents and carers. It was the forerunner to National Insurance credits which replaced HRP in 2010. People who claimed child benefit or those claiming income support because they were unable to work due to caring for a sick or disabled person should have automatically received HRP between 1978 and 2010. People who reached state pension age on or after April 6 2010 saw any full years of HRP converted to the new National Insurance credit system. But those who reached state pension age before April 6 2010 benefitted from a reduction in the number of qualifying years needed for a full state pension. HRP wasn't a mechanism for giving you extra qualifying years which is why you don't have 28 qualifying years. Your 17 years of HRP reduced the number of qualifying years you needed for the full basic state pension to 22. If you had 11 qualifying years on your National Insurance record too, you'll get 50pc of the basic state pension as you have half of the number of qualifying years you needed for the maximum. Without HRP, you would have only got around 28pc. You've mentioned that you have some additional state pension. I can't tell you how much that should be as there was no set amount per year, but anything you get will be paid to with your basic state pension. It might be worth asking the Pension Service to confirm your additional amount. There have been numerous errors made by the DWP when it comes to underpaying state pensions to women. Errors in relation to HRP were also identified because people claiming child benefit before 2000 did not have to input their National Insurance number as part of their application. Given the scandals, I completely understand why you have questioned their methodology here. But unless you believe there are any missing years of HRP showing on your record, and you are entitled to more than 17 years, I think the Pension Service is correct on this occasion. With best wishes, – Charlene
BBC News
08-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Contact The Pension Service if you were unable to top up your pension credits on April 6th
Contact The Pension Service if you were unable to top up your pension credits on April 5th
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
State pension: How to check yours, how to buy missing years and everything you need to know
As the population of the UK continues to live longer, more and more people are now claiming a pension. The most common remains the state pension, designed to give people a regular retirement income from the government. Those who qualify for this payment will get it regardless of whether they have other incomes or pensions, as it is based on contributions made whilst earning an income. It will be paid at different rates based on these contributions, up to a maximum of £230.25 per week, or £11,973 a year. This increases every year in line with the triple lock. After it is first claimed, it is usually paid every four weeks, instead of the same date every month. Here is everything you need to know about the state pension, how you can boost yours and how you can maximise your income in retirement. The state pension rises every year to keep up with rising costs and other financial pressures. The triple-lock guarantee, first implemented in 2011, means the figure increases year-on-year by the highest of three measures. These are: Inflation, taken from the previous September's Consumer Price Index (CPI) figure The average wage increase in the UK Or 2.5 per cent, if both inflation and earnings are lower than this percentage In 2025, the state pension increased by 8.5 per cent, matching wage growth in 2024. Back in 2023, it rose by a massive 10.1 per cent as the cost of living crisis and after-effects of the Covid pandemic continued to be felt. The triple lock was introduced to ensure that the state pension would not be outstripped by rising prices, nor by the average spending power of those in work. The measure has been criticised for potentially lacking long-term sustainability, costing the government more each year. In 2023/24, pension payments cost the government an estimated £124.3bn. It also may be changed in the future. For those below state pension age, you can visit to check your state pension forecast. This will tell you how much you could receive when you retire, alongside when you can get it, if you can increase it and how you can increase it. This forecast can also be accessed via the HMRC app. Both of these online methods – which are the fastest – will require login information to be created when first used. Those not within 30 days of reaching state pension age also have the option of sending a BR19 application form by post, or calling the Future Pension Centre who will post the forecast to you. Those already receiving the state pension are advised to contact the Pension Service about their payments. And if you live abroad, you need to contact the International Pension Centre. The amount you receive in your state pension depends on how many years of National Insurance (NI) contributions you have made. These are called 'qualifying years' and you need at least ten to receive any state pension at all. To receive the full state pension, you need 35 qualifying years. This means anyone with gaps in their NI record might be able to pay voluntary contributions to plug these gaps and boost their entitlement. The gaps may have arisen because they were employed but had low earnings, unemployed and not claiming benefits, self-employed and not paying in contributions, or other reasons. These gaps can typically be filled in for the past six years, with the deadline being 5 April every year. Lisa Picardo, chief business officer UK at PensionBee said: 'Buying back missing National Insurance years can be an effective way to boost your State Pension, particularly if you are approaching retirement and discover you do not have the full 35 qualifying years of contributions or credits needed to receive the maximum State Pension amount. 'Depending on how many years you are missing or short, the upfront cost can be relatively small compared to the long-term financial benefit of a higher State Pension paid out for the rest of your life, making it worthwhile for many people to top up these gaps.' Most experts advise that workers invest in pension pots beyond what they will receive from the state pension alone in retirement. This is because the roughly £12,000 a year it can grant at most is unlikely to be able to fund a viable standard of living in retirement. The state pension can also only be accessed at retirement age – currently 66 and due to rise to 67 for everyone by 2028. However, private pensions can typically be accessed from age 55 (rising to 57 from 2028) giving more flexibility for those who might want to retire earlier. This means building up a personal or workplace pension is 'crucial' says Ms Picardo, 'to support the achievement of a more comfortable lifestyle that most people need in later life.' She adds: 'Even small, regular contributions paid into a personal or workplace pension can grow into substantial retirement wealth over time, especially as retirement savings are boosted with the help of tax relief, and they grow over the long-term benefitting from compounding investment returns. 'If you are employed, you may also benefit from employer contributions, which are typically at least three per cent of your wages. Increasing your contributions or asking your employer to match a higher amount can make a real difference to the size of your final pension pot.' The Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association (PLSA) has said that a single retiree needs around £14,400 a year to cover the basics in retirement, rising to £31,300 for a 'moderate' lifestyle. But research by PensionBee suggests that most people are retiring with far less than this. The average pot size for someone over the age of 50 is expected to be under £88,000, the provider's most recent Pension Landscape shows, rising to £124,000 for those currently aged 40 to 39. Many people also stop working before the state pension age, often to to ill health or caring responsibilities - what experts call a 'pre-state pension gap' where a significant financial shortfall is faced. 'To close this gap, people need to save into a personal pension, increase contributions where possible, and consider combining old pots to keep track of and manage their savings,' says Ms Picardo. 'If you are self-employed or not eligible for a workplace pension scheme, a personal pension like a SIPP can help you independently build up your retirement savings in a tax-efficient way and take control of your retirement outcome.' When investing, your capital is at risk and you may get back less than invested. Past performance doesn't guarantee future results. Sign in to access your portfolio
