All you need to know about new State Pension and Pension Credits rates – full list of payments starting in April
DWP State Pension payment rates are changing from April and could see pensioners paid more than £400 extra a year.
State Pensions increase each April and the amount they go up by is worked out by the triple lock – a mechanism used to ensure the payment rates rise each year in line with whichever is higher out of inflation, earnings or 2.5%. This is to prevent the value of pensions being reduced by cost of living pressures.
This year, they are set to go up by 4.1% in line with the growth in average earnings. Most other benefit rates will rise by 1.7% in line with inflation.
The new rates come after it was announced that the government would be spending an extra £6.9 billion on state pensions and benefits from April.
Most people can claim the State Pension once they reach State Pension age – which changes depending on when you were born.
The amount of money you receive depends on how many ‘qualifying years’ of National Insurance payments you’ve made. For a Full Basic State Pension you need 30 years of NI contributions and for a Full New State Pension you usually need 35 qualifying years of contributions.
State Pension payments 2025/26
Full New State Pension
- Weekly payment: £230.25 (from £221.20)
- Four-weekly payment: £921 (from £884.80)
- Annual amount: £11,973 (from £11,502)
Full Basic State Pension
- Weekly payment: £176.45 (from £169.50)
- Four-weekly payment: £705.80 (from £678)
- Annual amount: £9,175 (from £8,814)
Work and pensions minister Sir Stephen Timms told the House of Commons in February: “The Government’s commitment to the triple lock means that the basic and full rate of the new state pension will be uprated by the highest of the growth in earnings or prices or 2.5%.
“This will mean 4.1% for 2025/26. From April this year the basic state pension will increase from £169.50 per week to £176.45, and the full rate of the new state pension will increase from £221.20 to £230.25.
“We are fully committed to maintaining the pensions triple lock. There’s some confusion currently about the position of the party opposite.”
He added that the standard minimum guarantee of Pension Credit will also increase by 4.1%, going from £218.15 to £227.10 per week for single pensioners and from £332.95 to £346.60 per week for couples.
