‘State Pension top up’ scheme starts ‘State Pension top up’ scheme starts A new scheme to help anyone reaching State Pension age before 6 April 2016 to safeguard their long-term financial security. A new scheme is being launched helping anyone reaching State Pension age before 6 April 2016 to safeguard their long-term financial security. Men aged 65 or older and women aged 63 or older are being offered a chance to increase their State Pension by up to £25 a week, giving them guaranteed extra income for life. The scheme will remain open for 18 months and those who think they can benefit will be able to buy additional State Pension – worth up to £1,300 a year. In most cases, surviving spouses and civil partners will be able to inherit at least 50% of the extra pension. This is an opportunity for people to increase their guaranteed retirement income for the years ahead with a boost which will be index-linked, helping to protect pensioners and their spouse or civil partner from inflation. State Pension top up calculator Minister for Pensions, Baroness Altmann said: This government’s commitment is to provide security for working people at every stage of their lives, and that includes giving people the chance to enjoy a financially secure retirement. We have already committed to protecting pensioner incomes with the triple lock – uprating the basic State Pension by at least 2.5% each year of this Parliament. The new State Pension, coming in from April 2016, will ensure a simpler, more sustainable State Pension for the pensioners of tomorrow. Top up is an opportunity for people already retired, or reaching State Pension age before April 2016, to boost their later life income. It won’t be right for everybody and it’s important to seek guidance or advice to check if it’s the right option for you. But it could be particularly attractive for those who haven’t had the chance to build significant amounts of State Pension, particularly many women and people who have been self-employed. With the scheme launching tomorrow, anyone who thinks they might benefit should seek advice and can visit our online calculator and find out more. The cost of a State Pension top up is based on a person’s age and takes average life expectancy into account. For a 65-year-old, an extra £10 of pension a week will cost £8,900, whereas for a 75-year-old the contribution rate for the same amount of pension is £6,740. More information on State Pension top up and how to apply is available at www.gov.uk/statepensiontopup. This includes an online calculator which illustrates the contribution rates based on age and the additional amount someone wishes to receive. contact www.the-boomers.com THE SMALL PRINT We hope you are enjoying the site, please note The –Boomers site has been prepared solely for information purposes. Users are advised to seek independent financial advice or in the case of health related content –consult your GP or medical professional. All information, opinions expressed on the The-Boomers are current as of the date of publication, but may become out of date over time. No liability and/or guarantee of performance is accepted or offered. The opinions expressed in The-Boomers do not constitute investment advice or health advice or any other form of advice; independent advice should be sought where appropriate. Articles are supplied strictly without accepting any liability, responsibility or duty of care for their services, content, or links to other subsequent related or unrelated material. The Site contains general information only and does not take into account the individual health issues /objectives or the individual financial situation/objectives or needs of a person or persons. Please see our Terms & Conditions for further information.
