Breaking News – State pensions will rise by just £4.40 a week

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THE state pension is set to rise just £4.40 a week in 2021, in the smallest rise possible allowed by legislation.

The increase means new pensions will rise from £175.20 to £179.60 a week – representing an increase of just £228.80 a year.

However, the old basic-rate state pension will rise by £3.40 a week from £134.25 to £137.65.

The rise, representing 2.5 per cent,  will be confirmed later by the government but is all but certain after inflation figures for September came in at just 0.5 per cent.

Under current rules, pensions rise every year by the highest of prices, earnings or by 2.5 per cent.

With earnings reduced by coronavirus and prices rising just 0.5 per cent, that means the 2.5 per cent figure will be used to set pension in 2021.

Tom Selby, the senior analyst at AJ Bell, said, “With Covid-19 hammering wages and pushing inflation to almost 0 per cent, the value of the state pension triple-lock has never been clearer.

If it were not for the policy, pensioners would likely see their state pension frozen next year.

“As it is, retirees are set to benefit from a 2.5 per cent state pension boost in 2021/22, adding £3.40 a week to the value of the ‘old’ basic-rate state pension and £4.40 a week to the ‘new’ state pension introduced in April 2016.

“This will be the 4th time the 2.5 per cent triple-lock underpin has kicked-in since the policy was introduced in 2011/12, meaning the value of the state pension will increase in real terms against both workers’ average wages and the price of goods and services.”

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Written by

Charlie Loran

Manchester born mummy with a two year old diva (2020), living on the Costa del Sol for just short of a decade.
Former chef and restaurateur, holistic health fanatic and lover of long words.

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Comments


    • David Duxbury

      21 October 2020 • 10:25

      £179.60 x 52 weeks = £9,339.2, not £228.80 a year.

      • John Smith

        21 October 2020 • 17:51

        David you are quite correct, it is the increase which is worth £228.80 per annum and article has been amended – thank you for pointing this out.

    • James Tilley

      21 October 2020 • 23:38

      No change however for 500,000 frozen pensioners who are fighting to have this draconian regulation removed. http://www.endfrozenpensions.org .The cost to uprate all frozen pensions is £500Million, but this is a pittance having regard to the forecast more than £105Billion balance at end March 2020 locked away in the National Insurance fund. Moreover this £500Million could be easily found by increasing NI contributions by less than 0.6%, or 40Pence /week from 30Million contributors, i.e. the cost of 1 fag /week deducted from 30Million pay-packets. Freezing so few pensioners’ pensions is a disgrace of which the miserly Britain’s Government, the only OECD nation which practices this outrageous policy, should be ashamed.

    • vincent backhouse

      22 October 2020 • 20:27

      How much did the politicians vote to pay themselves?

    Comments are closed.