New State Pension

Me too!

Neither would we have, Cossy.

Basgetti

Don’t most European workers pay more tax?

I’d have no issue whatsoever in paying more tax in order to have a better state pension and better services.

ArthurAskey

Labour like to describe pensioners as “people on benefits” despite the fact that they’ve worked and paid taxes for 45 years or more.

Honestly, what a nonsense comment! All governments and MPs have used that term, not just Labour AND furthermore, if you are insinuating it’s used as a derogatory term it is far more likely to be used by the Tories.

Don’t most European workers pay more tax?

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Why shouldn’t pensions keep pace with the rise in price of consumer goods and wage rises? They both contribute to cost push inflation which we all pay for.

MPs have just awarded themselves a 5% pay rise, They willl be paid an additional £4,695 per annum or £90 a week.

New State Pension, currently £230.25, rises by 4.8% to 241.30 in April meaning an annual increase of £574 or just £11 a week - barely enough to buy few basic groceries.

As I have said already, some people have more SP than that but many have much less. The smaller the pension the smaller the increase.

StatXplore shows that at May 2025, 636,311 old State Pensioners and 173,164 new State Pensioners received only £100 pw or less. They will get a princely rise of £4.80 per week or less.

Pensioners are always playing catch up. The triple lock is based on the various measures of inflation taken the previous summer. By the time we are paid the new pension rate in the following May (not April as SP is paid four weeks in arrear), there have been more consumer price rises and more wage rises adding to inflation.

This year's triple lock percentage rise is based on wage growth from May 2025 to July 2025, so effectively pensions are uprated almost a year later.

Also our state pension is one of the lowest in Europe.

NotSpaghetti

Factually it is a benefit.
It's a contributory benefit - part of our social security expenditure.

Yes, factually that’s true, and those who’ve not contributed directly still “benefit” from it.

Why shouldn’t pensions keep pace with the rise in price of consumer goods and wage rises? They both contribute to cost push inflation which we all pay for.

MPs have just awarded themselves a 5% pay rise, They willl be paid an additional £4,695 per annum or £90 a week.

New State Pension, currently £230.25, rises by 4.8% to 241.30 in April meaning an annual increase of £574 or just £11 a week - barely enough to buy few basic groceries.

As I have said already, some people have more SP than that but many have much less. The smaller the pension the smaller the increase.

StatXplore shows that at May 2025, 636,311 old State Pensioners and 173,164 new State Pensioners received only £100 pw or less. They will get a princely rise of £4.80 per week or less.

Pensioners are always playing catch up. The triple lock is based on the various measures of inflation taken the previous summer. By the time we are paid the new pension rate in the following May (not April as SP is paid four weeks in arrear), there have been more consumer price rises and more wage rises adding to inflation.

This year's triple lock percentage rise is based on wage growth from May 2025 to July 2025, so effectively pensions are uprated almost a year later.

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I'm not sure why he's amazed as the triple lock rise of 4.8% was confirmed in the Autumn Statement in November 2025.

That aside:

From StatXplore courtesy of Moneybox’s Paul Lewis

At May 2025, 758,363 people on old state pension and 64,603 on new state pension received more than £300 per week. At May 2023, 9030 received more than £400 per week and160 more than £500 per week.

Numbers and amounts paid will diminish over time as those receiving additional state pension through SERPS/S2P and graduated pension and those who inherited pensions from spouses and civil partners die.

Those whose NI record began after 5 April 2016 will never build the size of state pension that older pensioners could build or inherit as previous generations could.

It was the point of introducing the new State Pension, not only to simplify the system to eliminate the complications of contracting out of SERPS/SP2 but to make it cheaper to pay.

Because he’s been struggling with serious illness for several years. We’re comfortable financially and have different priorities right now.
Anyway, we don’t agree with the triple lock.

As said the state pension in future will be less but if pensioners are to have a living income it will have to be supplemented by other taxes.

Assuming the income thresholds are similar there is not going to be any net gain.

I'm not sure why he's amazed as the triple lock rise of 4.8% was confirmed in the Autumn Statement in November 2025.

That aside:

From StatXplore courtesy of Moneybox’s Paul Lewis

At May 2025, 758,363 people on old state pension and 64,603 on new state pension received more than £300 per week. At May 2023, 9030 received more than £400 per week and160 more than £500 per week.

Numbers and amounts paid will diminish over time as those receiving additional state pension through SERPS/S2P and graduated pension and those who inherited pensions from spouses and civil partners die.

Those whose NI record began after 5 April 2016 will never build the size of state pension that older pensioners could build or inherit as previous generations could.

It was the point of introducing the new State Pension, not only to simplify the system to eliminate the complications of contracting out of SERPS/SP2 but to make it cheaper to pay.

I’ve just looked up how much the average UK worker pays in NI each month. It is £182.
My husband retired quite recently. To his amazement, he has just received a letter telling him that his state pension is to increase by 4.8% each month. This will bring it to just shy of £950.
The state pension is most certainly a benefit.

pen50

It is a benefit, you didn't save for it, your taxes and NI paid for other people's pensions while you were working, and now your state pension is paid for by younger workers' tax and NI in turn. There has never been a state pension pot.

This. Very few people cover their costs, especially as we age and use more services.

Menopauselbitch

NotSpaghetti

Factually it is a benefit.
It's a contributory benefit - part of our social security expenditure.

But all other benefits aren’t taxed.

Some other benefits are taxable, eg JSA, ESA, maternity pay, bereavement allowance etc.

Benefits which are taxed:

• Bereavement Allowance (previously Widow’s pension)
• Carer’s Allowance or (in Scotland only) Carer Support Payment
• Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Incapacity Benefit (from the 29th week you get it)
• Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
• Pensions paid by the Industrial Death Benefit scheme
• State Pension
• Widowed Parent’s Allowance

www.gov.uk/income-tax/taxfree-and-taxable-state-benefits

NotSpaghetti

Factually it is a benefit.
It's a contributory benefit - part of our social security expenditure.

But all other benefits aren’t taxed.

Labour like to describe pensioners as “people on benefits” despite the fact that they’ve worked and paid taxes for 45 years or more.

My state pension gone up my tax code changed do it looks like I am staying the same! 🤷‍♀️
I am on the old pension rate!!

Yes, we have an increased SP but the day after my letter arrived I received another one from the taxman.
Not sure it will be much of an increase, if at all...

Well whoopsy do. Then Reeves the thieves will raise more taxes and take the extra off us. Give with one hand, take away with another.

Absolutely!

It is a benefit, you didn't save for it, your taxes and NI paid for other people's pensions while you were working, and now your state pension is paid for by younger workers' tax and NI in turn. There has never been a state pension pot.

Totally agree I worked hard over 40 years contributing a fair amount to get my state pension. I'm also a WASPI women so lost out on 6 years...Defo not a benefit!

At the end of the day, NIC is just another tax on wages. Some people pay a large amount of NIC and some pay none.

We do need safety nets to protect those who haven’t been able to work. An amount just below the rate of the nSP has been set for Pension Credit.

NIC has always been a bit of a con and very divisive.

Anyone who has been self employed under the old Class 2/Class 4 system knows that the Class 4 they paid on business profits didn’t count towards an Additional State Pension as SERPS/S2P did.

Paying Class 3 Voluntary contributions is an easy and cheaper way to buy missing contribution years. It currently costs £923 per year and will give you an extra £342 per year pension, so you are in profit by year 3.

Compare someone working full time on only minimum wage. They will pay NIC of £1,026. The employer will pay another £3,058, a total of £4084.

So someone works a year and £4084 goes into the goverment coffers. Don't work and buy a missing year later down the line and you pay £923. The end result is that both will receive an extra £6.58 pw pension at current rates.

Is your husband able to claim PIP Janetashbolr? That is not treated as income by HMRC.