The Department for Work and Pensions is set to pay state pensioners on the full, new state pension two payments in June, thanks to a payment quirk. The DWP state pension is paid out every four weeks.
Why Two Payments in June?
Because the first day of the month was a Monday, this month will see state pensioners who received payments on June 1 paid again on June 29. The same is true if you were paid on June 2, with a second payment owed on June 30. The state pension is worth £965 at the full, new rate, after the Triple Lock hike back in April.
Eligibility and Payment Details
Legal & General explains: "If you have never worked, and therefore never paid National Insurance, you may still be eligible for the State Pension if you have received certain state benefits, for example carer's allowance or Universal Credit." For the current tax year 2025/26, those entitled to the maximum State Pension will receive £230.30 per week. This is based on 35 years of full National Insurance contributions and/or NI credits.
The basic State Pension increases each year by at least 2.5%. It could be more if the rate of inflation or average earnings growth is more than 2.5%. If you retire abroad, this may not apply – check whether you will still receive increases each year.
State Pension Age Changes
From November 2018, women's and men's State Pension ages were aligned at 65. However, there are planned increases in the coming years. The State Pension age is set to rise for both men and women to 66, 67, or 68 depending on the individual's age. If you do not claim your State Pension in the year you reach State Pension Age, it will be increased when you do take it. For each year you delay, it increases by almost 5.8%.
The State Pension Age is increasing all the time as we have an increasing population and people are living longer. This means that it is becoming very costly for the Labour Party government to maintain State Pensions. Now that people are living longer, the belief is that they should be able to work longer before receiving their State Pension.
If individuals wish to retire early, they will need to ensure that they have enough savings, private pension, or occupational pension provision to bridge the gap between their last salary payment and their first State Pension payment, which could be many years later.
