Older state pensioners can receive up to £415.44 per week if they maximise two elements of their Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) payments this financial year. This total is higher than the amount available to new state pensioners.
Many older pensioners are eligible for additional 'increments' on top of their basic state pension through a scheme called Additional Pension (AP). AP is an umbrella term covering extra pension schemes that were available before the basic state pension was phased out and replaced in 2016 by the new state pension.
What is Additional Pension?
AP includes schemes such as the State Earnings Related Pension Scheme (SERPS) and the Second State Pension. Although new retirees can no longer claim AP, those who participated in the schemes can still receive weekly payments. From April, the DWP increased the maximum amount these payments provide.
The maximum AP payment was raised from £222.10 per week to £230.54 per week from April 6. Over a year, this amounts to an extra £646.88. This is on top of the basic state pension, which rose from £176.45 to £184.90 for older pre-2016 pensioners with a full National Insurance record.
How the total compares
In total, an older basic state pensioner could receive £415.44 per week from the DWP for their state pension. This is higher than the £241.30 per week available to new state pensioners with a maxed-out National Insurance record.
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."
"However, under the state second pension scheme, which ran from 2002 to 2016, you could contribute through your National Insurance contributions if you were: an employee earning at least £113 a week, caring for one or more children under 12 and claiming child benefit, claiming carer's credit, claiming certain disability-related benefits."
Which? adds: "There is no fixed amount for the additional state pension. The amount of additional state pension you'll get depends on how many years you paid National Insurance for, how much you earned and whether you contracted out of the scheme. The maximum additional state pension you can get in 2026-27 is £230.54 a week (not including state pension top-up)."
