More than 2.1 million pensioners receive less than £100 a week from their state pension, Hargreaves Lansdown analysis of government figures has shown.

The current full flat-rate state pension is £179.60 a week, while the full basic state pension is currently £137.60 per week.

However, pensioners may receive less than the full state pension if they have not accumulated 35 years of National Insurance credits, for example if they took time out of work, lived abroad or did not earn enough to qualify for a full National Insurance year.

Hargreaves Lansdown noted that women were more likely to receive less than the full state pension than men.

Some pensioners may also not receive the full state pension if they contracted out of the additional state pension under the old state pension system, as their employer paid less in National Insurance contributions.

Although this means the amount of state pension received would be lower, their workplace or personal pension was topped up.

Commenting on the statistics, Hargreaves Lansdown senior pension and retirement analyst, Helen Morrissey, said: “We often talk about state pension in terms of the maximum amount of money you can receive but data shows there are still many who receive far less than this.

“The most recent figures from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) show more than 2.1 million pensioners are receiving less than £100 per week in state pension, with women overall likely to receive less than men.

“If you have other sources of income in retirement, this many not be an issue, but for many people the state pension is the backbone of their retirement planning and they could receive a nasty shock if they find they are entitled to less than they thought. Luckily there are ways people can boost the amount of state pension they’re likely to receive.”

Share Story: