New state pensioners aged 77 and under can expect four-weekly payments of up to £965.20 from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in August, following the 4.8% triple lock increase that took effect in April.
Who receives the new State Pension?
Men born before April 6, 1951, and women born before April 6, 1953, receive the basic State Pension. Anyone born after those dates receives the new State Pension instead.
New state pensioners are defined as those who reached State Pension age from April 6, 2016, when the qualifying age was 63 to 65. The qualifying age subsequently rose to 66, meaning new state pensioners are now all aged under 77.
Those who have already been claiming the new State Pension will have seen their payments rise since April 6. Anyone reaching State Pension age in August will begin claiming at the higher 2026/27 rates from this month.
How much is the new State Pension in 2026/27?
The full new State Pension is now worth £241.30 per week, up from £230.25. That gives pensioners on the full rate a maximum weekly increase of £11.05.
Because State Pension is paid every four weeks, those who qualify for the full amount can expect payments of £965.20 from the DWP in each four-week period.
Over a full year, the 4.8% increase means total payments of £12,547.60, up from £11,973, adding £574.60 annually for those eligible for the full rate.
These figures assume a full qualifying National Insurance record. Pensioners without enough qualifying years will receive less than £965.20 every four weeks in the 2026/27 tax year.
What the Work and Pensions Secretary said
Confirming the rates at the end of last year, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Pat McFadden said: “I am pleased to announce that the basic and new State Pensions will be increased by 4.8%, in line with the increase in average weekly earnings in the year to May-July 2025. This delivers on our commitment to the Triple Lock, increasing these rates in line with the highest of growth in prices, growth in earnings or 2.5%. From April, the full annual rate of the new State Pension will increase by around £575. The full annual rate of the basic State Pension will increase by around £440.”
When will State Pension payments arrive?
Pensioners can check their National Insurance number to see when their payment will land in August. The last two digits correspond to the day of the week payments are normally issued, as follows:
- 00 to 19 – paid on Monday
- 20 to 39 – paid on Tuesday
- 40 to 59 – paid on Wednesday
- 60 to 79 – paid on Thursday
- 80 to 99 – paid on Friday
Some payments may be disrupted this month due to the late summer bank holiday on August 31. Those expecting a payment on that date will instead be paid three days earlier, on Friday, August 28.
What the DWP says about first payments
The DWP said: “You’ll be asked when you want to start getting your State Pension when you claim. Your first payment will be no later than 5 weeks after the date you choose. You’ll get a full payment every 4 weeks after that.
“You might get part of a payment before your first full payment. The letter confirming your State Pension payment will tell you what to expect.
“The day your pension is paid depends on your National Insurance number. You might be paid earlier if your normal payment day is a bank holiday.”
