The lowest state pension amount revealed – how to avoid it and boost your pot for free
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TEN unfortunate pensioners received just 52p in state pension last year, which is not enough for even a pint of milk. These retirees were given just 1p a week in the year to May 2023, The Sun can exclusively reveal. The shocking figures were part of a Freedom of Information request we submitted.
![[Ten state pensioners were paid just 52p in the year to May 2023]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/crop-29751231_c63dc0.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
In comparison, a pensioner who received the full new state pension would have been given £203.85 a week. This is £203.33 more than the pitiful sum their peers were handed. So how have these out-of-luck pensioners received such a small sum?. Here we explain how it could have happened - and how you can avoid being caught out too.
The state pension is a monthly payment from the government to most people once they reach the age of 66. Retirees on the new state pension currently get up to £221.20 a week, or £11,502.40 a year. Under the triple lock, the state pension increases every year in line with inflation, wages or 2.5%, whichever is highest.
The amount of state pension you get depends on your National Insurance record, so not everyone will get the same amount. You need 35 qualifying years of National Insurance contributions to get the maximum amount of new state pension. You make these contributions when you pay National Insurance while working.
You need ten qualifying years on your National Insurance record to get any state pension. This is one of the ways these ten retirees may have missed out on higher state pension payments. You may have gaps in your National Insurance record if you were:. NATIONAL Insurance is a tax on your earnings, or profits if you're self-employed.
