The State Pension provides essential financial support for over 12.4 million older people across the UK. This regular payment is available for those who have reached the UK Government’s eligible retirement age, which is now 66 for both men and women.
The retirement payment is not made automatically, it has to be claimed by those of eligible age, because some people choose to defer making a claim in order to keep working and contribute more towards their pension pot.
While this may seem a bit confusing, especially for those approaching retirement age in 2022, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has released a new online guide to help people understand who can get it, how to apply and how payments work.
There are three online guides split into sections to make them easy to read and understand.
Introduction to the new State Pension
The 11-page guide includes:
- An introduction to State Pension
- Who is eligible
- How to find out how much you will get - using the pension forecast tool
- Other help with money - how to claim Pension Credit if you are on a low income
How to apply for new State Pension
The 14-page guide includes:
- Explainer on the State Pension
- How to claim it
- What happens after you apply for it
How DWP pays new State Pension
The 12-page guide focuses on the amount of money you receive depends on how many years of National Insurance Contributions you have paid.
The DWP guidance states: “To get new State Pension payments, you will usually need to have 10 qualifying years on your National Insurance record.”
It also explains when the first payment is made and how recurring payments will be made every four weeks thereafter.
Read the full guide on the GOV.UK website here.
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