Some older state pensioners will receive two DWP state pension payments in October 2026, with a combined total of up to £1,479.20 from basic rate payments.
Those who retired before April 2016 receive a lower weekly basic rate than new state pensioners: £184.90 per week compared with £241.30 for those on the new state pension. This is despite the recent Triple Lock boost, which added 4.8% in April, and does not include any Additional Pension or SERPS payments that older pensioners may receive.
Why Some Pensioners Get Paid Twice in October
Although state pension figures are often reported as weekly amounts, the DWP actually pays the state pension every four weeks. The exact payment date depends on when a person first claimed and the last two digits of their National Insurance number.
According to the DWP, those whose NI number ends in digits between 60 and 79 are normally paid on Thursdays. Because October 2026 has five Thursdays, some older state pensioners with these National Insurance numbers will receive their state pension twice during the month. This gives a maximum total of £1,479.20 from basic rate payments, assuming a full National Insurance record, but excluding any additional payment increments from old AP schemes.
Those with incomplete National Insurance records will receive a lower total, depending on how far they are from a full record. The DWP calculates this on a case-by-case basis when a person first reaches state pension age.
Pension Credit and Additional Payments
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. However, another DWP rule allows older state pensioners to boost their weekly payments, depending on their income and savings.
Pension Credit is a benefit that older state pensioners (and new state pensioners) can use to increase their income. For example, an older state pensioner who only qualifies for the basic state pension gets £184.90 per week, but Pension Credit tops this up to £238 per week—only a few pounds less than the new state pension of £241.30. Other income, such as work earnings, property income, savings interest, or a private pension, is counted first, and the full amount may not be available if income limits are exceeded.
Older state pensioners can also continue to receive Additional Pension (AP) schemes, such as SERPS and the Second State Pension, which could make their total state pension payments higher than the base amounts. Although these schemes are no longer open to new members, those enrolled through their employer before retirement still receive AP amounts each week on top of their basic pension payments.
Tax Changes for State Pensioners
The Chancellor has 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 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.
