State Pension currently provides essential financial support for nearly 12.5 million older people across the UK, including some 981,399 living in Scotland. 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, and have paid at least 10 years of National Insurance contributions.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) delivers the contributory benefit and recently announced that the latest forecasts indicate that some 738,300 older people are set to receive their State Pension for the first time in the 2022/23 financial year. People eligible for the full, new State Pension will receive £185.15 per week until April 2023, while anyone on the 'old' basic State Pension (category A or B), is paid £141.85 per week.
The type of State Pension that a person can claim will depend on their date of birth - men born before April 6, 1951 and women born before April 6, 1953 are eligible for the Basic State Pension while those born after these dates will get the New State Pension. People who are eligible to claim the New State Pension can do so once they have reached their State Pension age of 66.
