Older state pensioners will get a £440 boost (Image: Getty)
Some lucky older state pensioners will have a bumper May with two DWP state pension payments totalling up to £1,479.20.
Those who retired before April 2016 are given less per week than new state pensioners in their basic weekly payments, at £184.90 rather than £241.30 for new state pensioners, even after the recent Triple Lock boost which added another 4.8% in April (not including any Additional Pension payments).
But despite the overall figure being lower, older state pensioners and new state pensioners alike can get two state pension payments in May due to the way the long five-week month falls.
Though state pension figures are often reported as weekly figures, the DWP state pension payments are actually paid every fouth weeks.
That means that for every four-week period, older state pensioners will get up to £739.60 from their basic rate state pension payments, as long as they have maximised their National Insurance record.
Exactly when you’re paid depends on the last two digits on the end of your National Insurance number.
According to the DWP, those whose NI number ends in digits between 80 and 99 are normally paid on Fridays. And because May has five weeks including five Fridays, state pensioners with these National Insurance numbers will get paid their state pension twice in May 2026 – for a total maximum of £1,479.20 in May, not including any additional supplements such as Additional Pension.
Those with incomplete records will see lower total take-home for their pension payments, depending on how far off the full record they are, which the DWP calculates on a case-by-case basis when you first hit state pension age.
The annual sum of basic rate state pension payments for an older state pensioner comes to £9,614.80. This is still a few thousand pounds lower than the basic rate for new, post-2016 state pensioners, but there is also another DWP rule which will allow older state pensioners to boost their weekly payments, depending on their income and savings.
Pension Credit is a benefit which older state pensioners (and new state pensioners) can use to boost their income. For example, an older state pensioner who only qualifies for the basic state pension will get £184.90 per week. But Pension Credit tops up this amount up to £238 per week, which is only a few pounds less than the new state pension anyway (£241.30). However, your other income, such as work earnings, property income, savings interest or a private pension, is counted first, and you won’t be able to get the full amount if you have exceeded income limits.
Older state pensioners can also continue to get access to Additional Pension (AP) schemes, such as SERPS, and Second State Pension, which could mean that their total state pension payments would be higher than the base amounts mentioned here. Though the schemes are now no longer open to join, those who were enrolled in existing AP schemes through their employer before retirement are still being paid AP amounts each week on top of their basic pension payments.
The Chancellor has also announced that in future, state pensioners who exceed the £12,570 Personal Tax Allowance will not owe tax on their state pension, as long as they have no other income. Details of exactly how this will work are yet to be revealed, although Additional State Pension schemes for older state pensioners will not be exempted from tax, HM Treasury has confirmed to the Express.
