“You can also buy voluntary National Insurance credits, which can work out very good value. Ms Morrissey explained: “There are things you can do to plug the gaps, including checking to see if you were entitled to claim a benefit (such as Child Benefit) which comes with a National Insurance credit during that time, and seeing if you can backdate a claim. The UK Government recently announced that it will review the rise to 68 two years after the next general election, which is due to take place next year.īut there are several things everyone can check now to ensure they maximise State Pension payments - even if they have already reached retirement age. The current age of retirement is 66 for men and women across Great Britain and is set to rise to 67 between 20. State Pension payment warning for older people due to reach official retirement age this year.New claims for Pension Credit made before next week could be due £301 cost of living payment.The head of retirement analysis at Hargreaves Lansdown explained: “Women in particular can have gaps in their National Insurance record that mean they aren’t currently entitled to a full pension.” Read More Related Articles

However, pensions expert Helen Morrissey warns that not everyone over 66 will receive the maximum amount, especially women. Of that overall total, some 9.7 million older people will receive Basic State Pension payments of up to £156.20 each week, compared to 2.9 million getting the New State Pension, which is now worth up to £203.85 each week.

The latest figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show there are now 12.6 million people across Great Britain receiving State Pension payments, including 1.1 million living abroad and 992,052 in Scotland. Millions of older people will receive a bumper State Pension boost this year after weekly payments increased by 10.1 per cent in April as part of the annual benefits uprating.

Dream Man by Linda Howard