{"id":126073,"date":"2026-09-28T11:45:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T10:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/?p=126073"},"modified":"2026-09-28T11:20:08","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T10:20:08","slug":"major-state-pension-payments-shift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/major-state-pension-payments-shift\/","title":{"rendered":"Major State Pension Payments Shift Coming as Women Close the Historic Gap With Men"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Women are expected to receive higher average state pension payments than men from early 2027, marking a reversal of a long-standing difference between male and female retirees under the UK pension system. The change follows years of adjustments to how pension entitlement is calculated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many decades, women generally received lower state pension<\/strong> payments because their National Insurance records were more likely to contain gaps, often linked to time away from paid employment while caring for children. The introduction of the new system in 2016 has changed the way these payments are calculated and has narrowed the difference between men and women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Gap Between Men and Women Has Narrowed Under the New State Pension<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The latest figures show that the difference between male and female recipients of the new State Pension<\/strong> has become much smaller than under the previous system. According to official Department for Work and Pensions<\/strong> figures, in March 2026 men receiving the new State Pension received an average of \u00a3217.99 per week, compared with \u00a3214.54 for women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The figures contrast with payments <\/a>under the pre-2016 system. Among people receiving the older State Pension<\/strong>, men currently receive an average of \u00a3225.11 per week, while women receive \u00a3195.97, leaving a wider gap between the two groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new State Pension was introduced in April 2016 and changed the method used to calculate entitlement. One factor behind women\u2019s progress under the newer system is the recognition of periods spent caring for children or other people. National Insurance credits<\/strong> can help protect an individual\u2019s pension record during periods when they are not working or making contributions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sir Steve Webb, a former pensions minister and partner at pension consultancy LCP, told the Mail on Sunday that he expects women to overtake men for the first time in the coming months. He said the previous pension system was based on an assumption that men were the main earners and women would rely on them financially, while the new approach <\/strong>aimed to provide a more equal basis for pension entitlement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Pension payments gender gap set to reverse \u00a9Canva<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Pension Wealth Differences Remain Beyond State Pension Payments<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The expected change in average state pension<\/strong> payments does not represent the disappearance of wider differences in retirement finances between men and women. Pension income from other sources, including workplace and private pensions, remains a separate issue from state pension payments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to research<\/a> from the Pensions Policy Institute<\/strong>, women aged between 55 and 59 hold 54% of the pension wealth held by men in the same age group. The research highlights that differences in private pension savings continue even as state pension payments become closer between men and women.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The amount an individual receives from the State Pension depends on their own National Insurance record. Average figures for men and women show overall trends but do not determine the payment received by a particular person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People approaching retirement can check their State Pension forecast<\/strong> online to see the amount they are currently expected to receive. The forecast is based on personal contribution records and can help individuals understand their position before reaching State Pension age.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A major change is expected in state pension payments, with women set to receive higher average amounts than men for the first time. The shift follows changes introduced under the new pension system, which has narrowed the historic gap.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":126076,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-126073","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-retirement","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126073","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=126073"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126073\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":126077,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126073\/revisions\/126077"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/126076"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=126073"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=126073"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=126073"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}