State Pension gap widens £2,932.80 after Uk State Pension Age Increase

The uk state pension age increase left older pensioners on the basic State Pension paid at a lower rate than younger retirees after the April 6 rise. The gap between the full new State Pension and the full basic State Pension is now £2,932.80 a year.

The full new State Pension rose from £230.25 a week to £241.30, giving a maximum annual payment of £12,547.60. The full basic State Pension increased from £176.45 to £184.90 a week, or £9,614.80 a year.

April 6 State Pension rates

The 4.8% increase took effect on April 6 and was set under the triple lock, which uses the highest of CPI inflation, average wage growth or 2.5%. That formula produced the latest rise in both pension rates for the 2026/27 tax year.

People born before April 6, 1951 if they are men, or before April 6, 1953 if they are women, get the basic State Pension. Anyone born after those dates gets the new State Pension.

Department for Work and Pensions

Older state pensioners across the UK may get up to £2,932 less per year in State Pension payments from the Department for Work and Pensions in 2026/27 compared with younger retirees. UK Parliament estimated 13.2 million state pensioners in Great Britain in 2025/26, with around 8.2 million on the pre-2016 State Pension and about 5.0 million on the new State Pension.

Some older pensioners also qualify for additional State Pension on top of the basic rate, including the Second State Pension and the State Earnings-Related Pension Scheme. SERPS ran from 1978 until 2002 and was designed to give extra money based on earnings and qualifying years.

2026/27 tax year

For readers checking their own payments, the practical divide is simple: the scheme you fall into depends on your birth date and National Insurance record, and the 2026/27 rates now put the basic pension well below the new pension. That leaves the biggest difference for people already on the older scheme, especially those without extra State Pension on top.