People who receive the State Pension in the UK could be getting a payment of up to £230 on Tuesday, but this depends on the last two digits of their National Insurance number. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) uses these digits to decide which day each person gets their pension money. If your number ends in a certain range, you’re set to receive your payment this Tuesday, May 6.
The amount pensioners get changes every year in April. This increase is decided by something called the “triple lock.” That means each year, the government looks at three things: how much prices have gone up (inflation), how much wages have increased, and a fixed rate of 2.5%. Whichever of those three is highest is used to decide how much to raise the pension. This year, wages had gone up the most—by 4.1%—so that’s how much pensions increased.
There are two types of State Pensions in the UK. One is called the “basic State Pension,” and the other is the “new State Pension.” Which one you receive depends on when you retired. If you retired more recently, you likely receive the new State Pension. The full weekly amount for this new pension is now £230.25. If you receive the basic State Pension, the full amount is now £176.45 per week.
Because of this increase, people on the new State Pension who receive the full amount will now get about £470 more over the course of the year. People on the basic pension who get the full amount will receive about £360 more over the year. That’s extra money to help cover everyday costs, which many pensioners really appreciate, especially with rising prices.
The State Pension is paid once every four weeks. When you first apply to start receiving it, you’ll be asked to choose the date you want your payments to begin. Your first payment should arrive within five weeks from that chosen date. After that, the money is sent automatically every four weeks.
What day you actually receive your money depends on your National Insurance number. The last two digits of your number are used to set your payment day. For example:
- If your number ends in 00 to 19, you get paid on Mondays.
- If it ends in 20 to 39, your money comes on Tuesdays.
- If it ends in 40 to 59, your payment day is Wednesday.
- If it ends in 60 to 79, you’ll be paid on Thursday.
- If it ends in 80 to 99, then Friday is your payment day.
So if your National Insurance number ends between 20 and 39, Tuesday is your usual payment day. If that’s you, and your payment is due around the beginning of the month, then you should see the money—up to £230—arrive on Tuesday, May 6.
It’s also good to know that if your normal payment date happens to fall on a bank holiday, the DWP may send your money a bit earlier. When you first start getting your pension, your first payment might be slightly smaller if it doesn’t cover the full four weeks. But after that, you’ll receive full payments regularly. The DWP will send you a letter explaining how much you’ll get, when you’ll get it, and what to expect going forward.
