State pensioners born before key dates will not receive the minimum £313 annual increase to the full state pension announced by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for next April, according to a warning from the Civil Service Pensions Alliance (CSPA).
The current full state pension is worth £241.30 per week (about £12,547 a year) for the 2026/27 tax year. Under the triple lock, the pension must rise by at least 2.5 per cent, which would add a minimum of £313 next year. However, the increase could be higher if wage growth or inflation figures exceed 2.5 per cent.
Who misses out on the full increase
Not everyone receives the full state pension. Around eight million pensioners are on the basic rate, which applies to women born before 1953 and men born before 1951. The CSPA warns that “most pensioners don’t get the ‘full’ rate.”
Even among those on the new State Pension, the full amount is not universal. DWP data analysed by Royal London in 2023 shows that only about half of new State Pension recipients receive the full rate. The remainder get lower amounts due to gaps in National Insurance records or historic periods of contracting-out.
Two-thirds on basic system
“Taking the system as a whole, about two-thirds of pensioners are on the basic system. Only roughly one in six pensioners receives the full new State Pension. Millions receive substantially less than headline figures suggest,” the CSPA stated.
Sally Tsoukaris, CSPA General Secretary, said: “Presenting the maximum possible increase as if it applies to everyone glosses over a more complicated reality. For many pensioners, particularly older women and those with interrupted working lives, the increases to their State Pension are much more modest.”
Inequities in the system
“CSPA urges caution when reporting these figures, as headlines focusing on the maximum total risk masking longstanding inequities within the State Pension system,” Tsoukaris added.
The distinction matters because it keeps attention on pensioners most at risk of financial insecurity in later life. The CSPA notes that one in six older people lives in poverty, and many more struggle to reach a basic standard of living. The full increase will apply only from April 2027, and only to those who qualify for the full new State Pension.
