Checking State Pension increase

eskbanker

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82114320#Comment_82114320

It's a matter of record that it's the previous September's CPI figure (as published by the ONS) that's used, which was 3.8% in 2025/26, as reflected at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-and-pension-rates-2026-to-2027/proposed-benefit-and-pension-rates-2026-to-2027#state-pension

DRS1

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82114320#Comment_82114320

Yes. Have a look here under State Pension

Benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027 - GOV.UK

goodValue

The links sent look very useful, and could be used each year (with modification) to check the pension increase.

However, I would need to know the breakdown between New State Pension and Extra State Pension, and the DWP have never sent me such a breakdown, even when the pension started payment.

Is there an email for the DWP department I would need to contact to find out this breakdown of payments?

Silvertabby

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82114320#Comment_82114320

It's the CPI as at the end of the previous September, announced in the second/third week of October.

eskbanker

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82114367#Comment_82114367

I don't think you'll find valid and attended email addresses for government departments, so your options will be phone or snail mail - do you actually believe the current payments are wrong or are you just looking for some reasurance?

DRS1

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82114367#Comment_82114367

There is a state pension forecast page online (as part of your personal tax account) but I don't know what happens to that when you get to state pension age. Maybe it just disappears?

I wonder if you can work out the components yourself? If you know how many weeks you deferred your state pension for perhaps. An extra 1% per 9 weeks. Or working the other way from saying you are £10 short and saying the difference between the increases is 1% maybe the extra part is £1k pa?

goodValue

I don't think you'll find valid and attended email addresses for government departments, so your options will be phone or snail mail - do you actually believe the current payments are wrong or are you just looking for some reasurance?

In the past I have twice had to send a number of messages to the DWP before getting a response.
Both were about top-ups for improving my pension, as it was forecast to be only two thirds of the full New State Pension.
The eventual reply was that I could not improve my pension:

You do have some tax years without contributions, however, purchasing these will not increase your pension any further.

Requests for an explanation of why purchasing extra years would not improve my pension, went unanswered.

Therefore due to this, and previous poor service from the DWP, I consider it prudent to check that their calculations are correct.

eskbanker

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82115583#Comment_82115583

They're not actually under any obligation to explain the intricacies of the calculation, and chances are they'd have been right anyway, in that not all NI gaps can be productively filled to improve the pension situation - in particular there's a significant distinction between pre- and post-2016 gaps.

Were you communicating with them by email, and if so, do you still have a usable address?

goodValue

I wonder if you can work out the components yourself? If you know how many weeks you deferred your state pension for perhaps. An extra 1% per 9 weeks.

For the initial payment, I think with the help of this forum, I did a calculation that showed the amount was not in error by a great amount.

But even that was an approximation due to lack of information from the DWP.

I am going to try and work out the components starting at the first year of payment, and using the link posted above, to calculate the increase for each year.

goodValue

The table in the government link for pension increases, shows 3 items of 3.8%. Which of these is appropriate for the increase in Extra State Pension?

Protected Payment,

Increments - own (based on deferred new State Pension)

Increments - inherited (based on deferred old State Pension)

I will probably need to know this as the values may not be the same in previous years.