Fact check: Seven in eight saw their state pension increase by less than £900
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said his Government has increased the state pension by £900.
Evaluation
From April 9 2024, anyone receiving the full level of the new state pension saw their annual payments rise by £900.
However, out of the 12.6 million people who received a state pension in November 2022, only around 1.5 million were receiving the new state pension and at the full level.
The facts
There are two forms of state pension. Those who reached state pension age before April 6, 2016 can get what is called the basic state pension. Those who reached state pension age on or after that date are entitled to the new state pension.
On April 9, 2024 both the basic and new state pensions rose by 8.5%.
For those getting the full level of the new state pension that means they will receive £221.20 a week, up from £203.85 a week. That is a rise of £902.20 per year and is in line with the £900 the Prime Minister claimed.
Those who get the highest level of the old-style basic state pension saw their payment rise from £156.20 per week to £169.50 per week. That is a rise of £691.60 per year, so less than Mr Sunak suggested.
Department for Work and Pensions data shows that in November 2022 there were just under 9.58 million people receiving the pre-2016 basic state pension.
The data, which was obtained through a Freedom of Information request submitted by mortgage broker Responsible Life, showed that just under 3.06 million people were on the new state pension.
Out of those, around 1.53 million people were eligible for the full rate.
The rest of that group get a lower weekly rate for various reasons, including whether they have qualified by paying national insurance for the required 35 years during their lifetimes. Paying in for fewer years can entitle a pensioner to a reduced weekly amount.
The data about the numbers claiming the full new pension rate is taken from November 2022 and the level of recipients is likely to have changed in the past 18 months as more people reached retirement age. These include people in Great Britain, and those eligible who now live abroad, but not cases administered in Northern Ireland.
Links
Gov.uk – Your State Pension explained (archived)
Gov.uk – Benefit and pension rates 2024 to 2025 (archived)
Gov.uk – The new State Pension (archived)
