State Pension currently provides essential financial support for 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 has revealed that the latest forecasts indicate that 738,300 older people are set to receive their State Pension for the first time in the 2022/23 financial year. However, many people approaching the official retirement age may not be aware that the money is not paid automatically by the DWP and needs to be claimed, or they could miss out on payments of up to £185.15 every week.
And for people with varying or complex needs, they may not be aware that DWP provides choice in how they can access their services to claim their State Pension.
