Older Brits urged to do '£93.60 test' to check for state pension underpayments
Thousands of older Brits are being urged to do a simple check to see if they are getting the correct amount of state pension.
Former pensions minister Sir Steve Webb issued the warning to anyone who is getting a state pension worth less than £93.60 a week. The exact rules depend on what type of state pension you’re claiming. If you reached retirement age before April 6, 2016, then you would be claiming the old state pension. Anyone aged 80 or over who qualifies under residence eligibility rules should be entitled to a pension of £93.60 a week.
This includes those who were resident in the UK for at least ten years out of 20 - this doesn’t have to be in a row - or those who were “ordinarily resident” in the UK, the Isle of Man or Gibraltar on their 80th birthday, or the date they made an “over 80” pension claim.
The second group of people claiming the old state pension who should check their payments now are married women with a husband over state pension age. If the husband has a full basic state pension, then the wife can claim a “married woman’s pension” of £93 a week.
Sir Steve says some husbands who have a low pension may also apply to this rule, although it is "less common". However, if the husband is on less than a full basic pension, then his wife’s “married woman’s pension” can be less than £93 a week.
Killer dances in his victim's house with twerking model who later turned on him
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is currently in the middle of a major correction exercise to fix errors where thousands of married women are being underpaid the state pension. But this was supposed to have been completed by the end of 2023 - so if you've not heard from the DWP and you believe you're being underpaid, you'll need to contact the DWP.
Sir Steve has also warned there are groups of people claiming the new state pension, who should also be getting at least £93 a week or more. You claim the new state pension if you're a man born on or after April 6, 1951, or if you're a woman born on or after April 6, 1953.
Anyone with 16 or more years of National Insurance contributions or credits, should "broadly speaking" get a state pension of £93 or more. Sir Steve said someone claiming less than this may have missing National Insurance credits for years at home with children, previously known as Home Responsibilities Protection. In addition, women who were paying the "married woman’s stamp" 35 years before they reached state pension age qualify under a special concession and are entitled to a £93.60 pension.
Sir Steve, who is now partner at LCP, said: "Now that the DWP has finished checking for state pension errors among married women and the over 80s, anyone still on a low pension needs to take action. The ‘magic number’ is £93.60 per week.
"The vast majority of pensioners should be getting at least this amount. Anyone on less than this amount needs to contact the Pension Service to see if an error has been made and/or if they need to put in a further claim to get the higher rate. The New Year is an ideal time to get this sorted once-and-for-all."
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
