State Pension payments are issued by the DWP every four weeks.
State Pension payments are issued by the DWP every four weeks (Image: Getty)
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has confirmed State Pension payments of up to £965 for pensioners in September based on a two-digit code. Following a 4.8% uplift at the start of the new tax year, the full new State Pension is now worth £241.30 per week. As it is paid by the DWP every four weeks, it means eligible pensioners can get up to £965.20 in each four-week period.
Similarly, the old basic State Pension also increased by 4.8% in April, rising to £184.90 per week to give those eligible for the full amount £739.60 every four weeks. Of course, these amounts are based on a full National Insurance record, so pensioners without enough qualifying years will receive less in each payment period from the DWP.
The new rates came into effect on April 6 and pensioners will continue to reap the benefits of these in September – and every month that follows until next April.
The State Pension is typically paid every four weeks and when you first claim it, you choose the date when you want to receive your payment.
Pensioners can determine when they can expect their State Pension to be paid based on the two-digit code at the end of their National Insurance number, as this specifies the date when payments are normally issued.
The DWP has confirmed these two-digit codes at the end of National Insurance numbers correspond to the following payment days:
- 00 to 19 – paid on Monday
- 20 to 39 – paid on Tuesday
- 40 to 59 – paid on Wednesday
- 60 to 79 – paid on Thursday
- 80 to 99 – paid on Friday
So if your National Insurance number ends in 19, for example, you can expect to get your State Pension payment from the DWP on a Monday in September. This will usually be four weeks after your last payment in August.
The DWP said: “You’ll be asked when you want to start getting your State Pension when you claim. Your first payment will be no later than 5 weeks after the date you choose. You’ll get a full payment every 4 weeks after that.
“You might get part of a payment before your first full payment. The letter confirming your State Pension payment will tell you what to expect.
“The day your pension is paid depends on your National Insurance number. You might be paid earlier if your normal payment day is a bank holiday.”
State Pension payments can sometimes be disrupted from month to month due to bank holidays, meaning pensioners have to make their cash last a little longer before their next payment arrives.
This was the case last month due to the late August summer bank holiday on August 31, which meant pensioner due to receive their payment on this date were paid three days early by the DWP on Friday, August 28 instead.
But as there are no bank holiday in September, payments are due to go out as normal this month so pensioners can expect to receive their money on their usual payment date.
Under the 2026 to 2027 State Pension rates, the full new State Pension is worth a maximum of £12,547.60 per year, while the full basic State Pension is worth £9,614.80.
The DWP said earlier this year that the Government’s commitment to the triple lock means pensioners’ incomes will rise by up to £2,100 over this Parliament, and April’s 4.8% uprating will help millions across the UK facing cost of living pressures.
The triple lock is a UK government guarantee that the State Pension will go up every April by whichever is the highest out of three measures: the consumer price index (CPI) measure of inflation (measured for September the year before), average wage growth between May and July of the previous year, or 2.5%.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has previously suggested he will stick to the 2024 Labour manifesto and protect the triple lock, so if he follows through on this pledge, new State Pension and basic State Pension claimants can expect a payment rise of at least 2.5% in the next tax year, as this is the minimum floor for increases.
Unless a radical change to State Pension rules is announced, Chancellor John Healey will confirm how much rates will rise under the triple lock in the Budget on October 28.
Announcing the Budget date in a video message last month, Mr Healey said: “I’m confirming the date of my first Budget as Chancellor will be Wednesday, October 28. This will be a Budget that moves money and power out of Westminster, and into every postcode around Britain.
“It will be built on fiscal discipline. It will meet our fiscal rules. It’ll give businesses and families some of the stability they need to plan for the future. Now, let’s get on with the job.”