DWP State Pension payment ‘delay’ warning to people who ignore letter

People who are entering retirement are being warned they need to act if they actually want to get a .

Newly released figures from the Department for Work and Pensions () indicate that 13 million older individuals in the UK are currently being supported by the . Yet the benefit, available to both genders once they reach the retirement age threshold of 66 and have at least 10 years of National Insurance Contributions, isn’t granted without action from retirees.

The urges those approaching retirement to actively claim their to avoid delaying their initial weekly payment of up to £221.20, or £884.80 every four weeks. Some people might opt to delay claiming their pension if they continue working to boost their savings, especially if they haven’t reached a full 35 years’ worth of contributions or were ‘contracted out’.

According to guidance: “You do not get your automatically – you have to claim it. You should get a letter no later than two months before you reach age, telling you what to do.”

Deferring your State Pension

Moreover, there is an option to defer one’s according to official advice: “If you want to defer, you do not have to do anything. Your pension will automatically be deferred until you claim it.”

If you fail to respond to the correspondence confirming your desire to start your , no payments will be made. The interprets a lack of response as an indication that you wish to defer, reports .

Deferring your can increase the weekly amount you receive when you do claim it, provided you defer for at least nine weeks. For every nine weeks you delay claiming, your increases by about 1%, which equates to nearly 5.8% for a full year.

When you begin receiving it, the increase from deferral is included with your regular payment. However, keep in mind that any extra money from deferring could be taxable – more details are available on

It’s also worth noting that deferred State Pensions rise annually with September’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation figure and not according to the highest benchmark of the policy.

First state pension payment

Your first payment will be within five weeks of reaching age and you will receive a full payment every four weeks thereafter.

You may receive part of a payment before your first full payment. The letter will inform you of what to expect.

You can also opt to receive your payments weekly or fortnightly, which will result in a shorter delay for the first payment.

Qualifying years

If you have qualifying years on your National Insurance record as of April 5, 2016, the Department for Work and Pensions () calculates a ‘starting amount’ for your new . This is either:

• the amount you would have got under the previous system up to 6 April 2016, or
• the amount you would get on your record to 6 April 2016 if the new had been in place at the start of your working life

How can I find out how much State Pension I could get?

You can obtain a personalised forecast online from the Check your service . This provides details such as your age, an estimate of how much you may receive at that time and whether you can increase this amount.

It also allows you to view your National Insurance contribution history. More information about deferring your can be found on the