Calls for weekly State Pension payments of £549 for every person over 60
More than 7,500 people have signed an online petition calling on the UK Government to increase weekly State Pension payments to £549 for every person over the age of 60, including Brits living abroad in retirement. Petition creator Denver Johnson, proposes increasing the State Pension to equal 48 hours each week at the National Living Wage rate of £11.44 per hour.
The petition proposals would provide 12.9 million people currently on the State Pension - and those over 60 - with £28,554.24 each year. This uplift would also be applied to some 453,000 retirees whose State Pension has been frozen at the point of emigration because the country they now live in does not have a reciprocal agreement with the UK Government.
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The ‘Give State Pension to all at 60 and increase it to equal 48hrs at Living Wage’ petition has been posted on the petitions-parliament website and states: “We want the Government to make the State Pension available from the age of 60 and increase this to equal 48 hours a week at the National Living Wage.
“Hence from April 2024, a universal State Pension should be £549.12 per week or about £28,554.24 per year as a right to all including expatriates, age 60 and above.
“We think that Government policy seems intent on the State Pension being a benefit, while increasing the age of entitlement. We want reforms so the State Pension is available from age 60, and linked to the National Living Wage.”
At 10,000 signatures, the petition would be entitled to a written response from the UK Government. At 100,000 it would be considered by the Petitions Committee for debate in Parliament - read it in full here.
The New and Basic State Pensions are set to rise in April by 4.1 per cent, under the earnings growth measure of the Triple Lock, however, additional elements along with working age and disability benefits, will increase by 1.7 per cent under the September Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate.
The DWP recently set out the proposed new payment rates for the 2025/26 financial year. People on the full New State Pension will see payments rise by £9.05 per week from £221.20 to £230.25 and as the payment is typically made every four weeks this amounts to £921.
The uplift will see annual payments rise by £473.60 from £11,502 to £11,973 over the 2025/26 financial year. However, it’s important to be aware not all of the 4.1m people on the New State Pension receive the full amount as it is linked to National Insurance Contributions.
Someone on the full Basic State Pension will see weekly payments rise by £6.95 per week from £169.50 to £176.45, or £705.80 every four-week payment period. Annual payments will rise by £361.40 from £8,814 to £9,175.40 over the 2025/26 financial year.
To check your own future State Pension payments, use the online forecasting tool on GOV.UK here.
State Pension payments 2025/26
The DWP will publish the full list of State Pension and benefit uprated payments shortly, so far they have only confirmed the New and Basic State Pension rates, not additional elements (which are rising by 1.7%).
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)
Future State Pension increases
The Labour Government has pledged to honour the Triple Lock or the next five years and the latest predictions show the following projected annual increases:
2025/26 - 4.1% confirmed, the forecast was 4%
2026/27 - 2.5%
2027/28 - 2.5%
2028/29 - 2.5%
2029/30 - 2.5%
