Thousands of older women could be due State Pension back payments of £5,000

A new online petition is calling on the UK Government to ‘honour the Triple Lock in full in April 2024’ ahead of the annual State Pension uprating announcement to be made during the Autumn Statement next month.

Millions of older people are due to receive a one-off payment from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to help keep winter heating bills down. No exact dates for this year’s Winter Fuel Payment have been announced, however, DWP has said most payments will be made during November and December.

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There is an important date coming up that everyone claiming their State Pension should be aware of as it could help them calculate how much the contributory benefit will increase next April. The September Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate will be announced next week - on Wednesday, October 18 - and forms part of the Triple Lock policy which is used for the annual State Pension uprating.

The latest figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show in February this year, there were 416,313 people across Great Britain receiving Attendance Allowance support for arthritis, making it the most-claimed for health condition by people over State Pension age. More than 37,500 older people in Scotland are receiving either £68.10 or £101.75 each week in extra financial support along with more than 1,100 living abroad.

There are a number of one-off cost of living and winter payments on the way this year for people on State Pension.

There are nearly three months of the year still to go, however, October 5 marks ‘State Pension Shortfall Day’. This is point in 2023 when the average single pensioner would have exhausted their full annual State Pension payment from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) - the full New State Pension is worth just over £10,600 this financial year - and be reliant on private pension income or other savings to bridge the gap.

The September Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate will be announced on October 18 and forms part of the Triple Lock policy which is used to determine the annual State Pension uprating. Under the Triple Lock, the State Pension increases each year in line with whichever of these three measures are the highest - average annual earnings growth from May to July (currently 8.5%), CPI inflation in the year to September (currently 6.7%) or 2.5 per cent.

An online petition calling for the State Pension to be increased to £416 each week for everyone over the age of 60, to match the hourly rate of the National Minimum Wage, has received more than 10,000 signatures of support and is now due an official response from the UK Government.

There is a key date this month that everyone claiming their State Pension should be aware of as it could determine how much the contributory benefit will increase next April. The September Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate will be announced on Wednesday, October 18 and forms part of the Triple Lock policy which is used for the annual State Pension uprating.

The latest statistics from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show that State Pension currently provides regular financial support for 12.6 million older people across the country, including nearly one million retirees living in Scotland. This payment is available for those who have reached the UK Government’s eligible retirement age, which is currently 66 for both men and women, and have paid at least 10 years' worth of National Insurance Contributions.

Some 12.6 million older people could be set for a bumper State Pension pay rise next April under the Triple Lock policy, however, while an increase of 8.5 per cent would undoubtedly help more older people combat the cost of living crisis, it will also push an estimated half a million retirees nearer the personal tax allowance annual limit of £12,570.

Pension experts are urging older people to check the interest rate they currently have on their savings accounts after new research indicated that at least half of retirees could be missing out on hundreds of pounds each year. Pension Bee warns those missing out most are people with an interest rate of three per cent or less.

A new online petition argues that the State Pension is “too low” and should be increased to match the National Minimum Wage. If that sounds like a familiar proposal it’s because another petition, which has received more than 36,700 signatures of support, has made a similar proposal, but was rejected by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) last month.

State Pension currently provides essential financial support for 12.6 million older people across the country, including more than one million retirees 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.

Councils could slash the amount they pay into workers’ pensions after a retirement fund posted a massive surplus.

Some 12.6 million older people across Great Britain may not get the bumper 8.5 per cent State Pension pay rise next April as the UK Government tries to reduce spending. On Tuesday, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) announced that earnings growth for the period between May and July was 8.5 per cent, but this figure includes employee bonuses.

Millions receiving the state pension will see a major increase of hundreds of pounds next year.

The FDA today approved the new, fall Covid vaccine targeting omicron descendant XBB.1.5, which in over the summer was the most prevalent strain in the U.S. Last year’s vaccines targeted the original strain and an earlier omicron version. According to the AP, the new shots could be available as soon as this week.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) now estimates that 165,000 older people have been underpaid their State Pension by £1.2 billion due to historical errors affecting mostly married women, widows and those aged over 80. It also estimates 210,000 people may have been underpaid a further £1.3 billion due to historical issues relating to Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP).