Some younger state pensioners will receive a boosted £1,930.40 from the DWP in October 2026, thanks to the month having five Fridays. Those who retired after April 2016 can get a maximum of £241.30 per week in their basic state pension payment, assuming a full National Insurance record.
In April 2016, those qualifying for a state pension would have been aged 66, so the oldest that a new state pensioner could be now is 77, depending on where their birthday falls. Older state pensioners and new state pensioners alike can get two state pension payments in October due to the way the long five-week month falls.
How the Payments Work
Though state pension figures are often reported as weekly figures, the DWP state pension payments are actually paid out for every four-week period. That means that for every four weeks, new state pensioners will get up to £965.20 from their basic rate state pension payments, as long as they have maximised their National Insurance record.
Exactly when you're paid depends on the last two digits of your National Insurance number. According to the DWP, those whose NI number ends in digits between 80 and 99 are normally paid on Fridays.
Who Gets the Boost
Because this October has five Fridays, younger state pensioners with these National Insurance numbers could get paid their state pension twice in October 2026 - for a total maximum of £1,930.40 in October from the basic rate payments, assuming a full National Insurance record. Those with incomplete records will see lower total take-home for their pension payments, depending on how far off the full record they are, which the DWP calculates on a case-by-case basis when you first hit state pension age.
The annual total of basic-rate state pension payments for a younger state pensioner is £12,547. Crucially, this is still below the threshold for Income Tax, although it does mean that any other income, such as savings interest, work or letting a property, could tip you into owing tax to HMRC.
Future Tax Changes
The Chancellor has also announced that in future, state pensioners who exceed the £12,570 Personal Tax Allowance will not owe tax on their state pension, but this relies on having no other income. Details of exactly how this will work are still yet to be confirmed by the Treasury, but the next Budget, on October 28 - the first under John Healey - is expected to shed more light on the specifics. The scheme was first announced by ex-Chancellor Rachel Reeves, but new Prime Minister Andy Burnham has committed to keeping the exemption in place.
