Older state pensioners can receive up to £415.44 per week in 2026-27 if they maximise both their basic state pension and Additional Pension (AP) payments from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
Additional Pension is an umbrella term for extra pension schemes available to older pensioners before the basic state pension was phased out and replaced in 2016 by the new state pension. These schemes include the State Earnings Related Pension Scheme (SERPS) and the Second State Pension. While new retirees can no longer join, individuals who participated can still receive weekly AP payments.
DWP Increases Maximum Weekly Payments
From April 6, the maximum AP payment increased from £222.10 to £230.54 per week. Over a full year, this represents an additional £646.88. The basic state pension also rose from £176.45 to £184.90 per week for a pre-2016 pensioner with a full National Insurance record.
Combined, an older basic state pensioner could receive £415.44 per week solely from the DWP. This exceeds the £241.30 per week available to new state pensioners with a fully maximised National Insurance record.
How Additional Pension Is Calculated
Consumer magazine Which? explains: "Before 2002, you could only contribute to the additional state pension (then known as the state earnings-related pension scheme, or Serps) if you were employed." Under the state second pension scheme, which ran from 2002 to 2016, contributions could be made through National Insurance.
Which? adds: "There is no fixed amount for the additional state pension." The amount depends on years of National Insurance contributions, earnings, and whether the individual contracted out of the scheme. The maximum additional state pension in 2026-27 is £230.54 a week, not including state pension top-up.
