DWP system quirks cancreate large disparities in retirement incomes, retirees are told.
Some state pensioners getting £36,000 state pensions – triple full amount
State pensioners o n £36k state pensions – triple the full amount from the Department for Work and Pensions, or DWP – have been revealed. DWP system quirks can create large disparities in retirement incomes, retirees are told.
A “full” new state pension pays £230.25 a week, or £11,973 a year. But 324 retirees who receive at least £692.30 a week in state pension payments, equating to an annual income of £36,000, according to calculations based on Department for Work & Pensions ( DWP ) data.
The “basic” element of the old state pension is currently £176.45 a week, or £9,175.40 a year. But many older retirees also draw money from an additional earnings-related pension, commonly known as Serps, for a maximum of £222.10 a week.
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And deferring payments can make DWP payouts increase further. Former Liberal Democrats Pensions Minister Sir Steve Webb has spoken out alongside the data.
He said: “These figures are a reminder that outcomes under the old state pension system could vary hugely, with some people receiving very large pensions and others very small ones.
“In particular, some people with very large entitlements to the additional state pension on top of their basic pension could have pensions of £300 per week or more, significantly higher than the standard rate of the new state pension.
“In the future, it will not be possible to build up state pensions this large, but there are significant numbers of people who retired before 2016 who will continue to enjoy pensions above the new flat rate.”
Tom McPhail, an independent pensions expert, said: “The old state pension system produced some spectacular winners, compared to the new state pension, but it also tended to be more unequal – some did very well, others largely missed out.
“For younger workers today, facing poorer private pensions, later retirement and a state pension that is being rapidly overtaken by taxes, it is understandable if they feel hard done by.”