£549 Weekly State Pension for All Over 60s: A new petition demanding a significant rise in the UK State Pension has gained widespread attention. With over 22,649 signatures, this campaign calls for the State Pension to be increased to £549 per week for everyone aged 60 and above, including British expats. Spearheaded by Denver Johnson, the petition has crossed the 10,000-signature mark, prompting the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) to issue an official response.
What Does the Petition Propose?
The petition advocates for a substantial increase in weekly payments, aligning the State Pension with the equivalent of 48 hours of work per week at the current National Living Wage of £11.44 per hour. This would equate to an annual income of £28,554.24, benefitting the 12.9 million individuals currently receiving the State Pension, along with those aged 60 and over.
Notably, the proposal also addresses the plight of approximately 453,000 retirees living abroad, who currently receive a frozen State Pension due to the absence of reciprocal agreements between their countries and the UK.
According to the petition, beginning in April 2024, the universal State Pension should:
- Be available to everyone aged 60 and above.
- Equal £549.12 per week or £28,554.24 annually.
The petition argues that the Government treats the State Pension as a benefit and is unfairly increasing the entitlement age, disadvantaging retirees.
Eligibility Requirements for Debate in Parliament
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Total Signatures So Far | 22,649 (till 08 May 2025) |
| Minimum Signatures Required | 100,000 |
| Deadline to Meet Requirement | 26 May 2025 |
This petition must reach the minimum threshold of 100,000 signatures by 26 May 2025 to qualify for consideration for a debate in Parliament. Keep encouraging participation to meet the goal!
Current State Pension Rates and Planned Increases
The New and Basic State Pensions are set to increase in April 2025, following the Triple Lock mechanism:
- Full New State Pension: Payments will rise by £9.05 per week, from £221.20 to £230.25, amounting to £921 every four weeks.
- Annual total: Increased from £11,502 to £11,973, reflecting a £473.60 rise.
- Note: Not all 4.1 million recipients receive the full amount, as it depends on their National Insurance Contributions.
- Full Basic State Pension: Weekly payments will increase by £6.95, from £169.50 to £176.45, equating to £705.80 every four weeks.
- Annual total: Increased from £8,814 to £9,175.40, reflecting a £361.40 rise.
While these increases offer some relief, they fall far short of the petition’s proposed amount, which seeks a significant reform to the current pension structure.
Why This Proposal Matters
The campaign highlights concerns that Government policies treat the State Pension as a mere benefit while steadily increasing the retirement age. It argues that the pension should be linked to the National Living Wage and made universally accessible from the age of 60.
Supporters believe this reform would provide retirees with a fair income, ensuring financial security during retirement. If implemented, this could also benefit British expats, many of whom face frozen pensions that fail to reflect inflation and rising living costs.
What’s Next?
Although the petition has garnered considerable support, the DWP has yet to commit to the proposed changes. A formal response will be issued due to the petition crossing the 10,000-signature threshold. However, no immediate changes are guaranteed, as significant financial implications would need to be assessed.
For now, retirees and campaign supporters are urged to keep advocating for reforms, while the Government is likely to address the matter in upcoming fiscal discussions.
The proposed State Pension increase to £549 per week has sparked a national conversation about retirement security and fairness. While the petition underscores the need for pension reforms, the Government’s response and subsequent actions will determine whether this ambitious proposal becomes a reality. For millions of pensioners, it represents a potential lifeline in managing the rising costs of living and ensuring a dignified retirement.
FAQ
What is the proposed increase in the State Pension?
The petition calls for increasing the weekly State Pension to £549 for everyone aged 60 and above, equivalent to 48 hours of work at the National Living Wage.
Who started the petition to increase the State Pension?
The petition was initiated by Denver Johnson and has gathered over 14,900 signatures, crossing the threshold for a formal Government response.
What would be the annual income from the proposed State Pension increase?
If implemented, the proposed weekly pension of £549 would provide an annual income of £28,554.24.
How would the increase affect British expats?
The proposal includes approximately 453,000 British retirees abroad, many of whom currently receive a frozen State Pension due to a lack of reciprocal agreements.
When will the current State Pension rates increase?
The current State Pension rates are set to rise in April 2025, with the full New State Pension increasing to £230.25 per week.
People on state pension is not a benefit pension is what we all paid into it’s our right to have what is ours the government is always taking from the pensioners
Also people that need help with some sort of payments for elderly disabilitys
Hello L A Humphrey,
We are totally agree with your statement.
Do the government realise that women who chose to pay married women ‘s stamps prior to the contribution being worked out as a percentage of salary salary have a reduced pension and yet when the system changed no allowance for this was made?
This resulted in women with higher paid jobs making greater ccontributions than many men, but the men receive higher pensions.
Re pensioners being mistreated by changes in age qualification, this is a similar situation and should be addressed.
A further injustice is reduced pensions being paid when contributions made are less due to illness… punishment for being ill.
I could go on listing unfair and in some cases illegal treatment… what happened to sexual and age discrimination?
Why are there two different types of pay scales we are all pensioners and should be paid the same
Because I am disabled, I need all the help I can get, Life is hard being disabled, but I do what I can
Hello Robert,
First of all sign this petition, and we have wait for the government decision.
For further help you can call here:
Telephone: 0800 121 4433
Textphone: 0800 121 4493
Thank you
I want to withdraw this money, I am interested, the amount is 301 pounds.
Thank you Mr Humphrey. Whatever we have put into is never given back. We are on less than minimum pay. It’s a disgrace to think otherwise. If you do not have private or work related schemes to top up your income you have to supplement that with savings which are not lasting with investment opportunities giving lack lustre returns. I support your scheme to make our governments improve our lot.
Pensioners always bear the brunt when it comes to increases in pensions, decrease of money they want to save in Isa’s. We have worked all our lives, paid our dues and now we are being penalised for saving hard for a better standard of living for ourselves.
I don’t understand this as if my pension is a benefit why is it deducted from my universal credit as income
Hello Carol Brown,
Universal Credit helpline
Universal Credit helpline
Telephone: 0800 328 5644
Textphone: 0800 328 1344
You can ask here: https://www.gov.uk/universal-credit/contact-universal-credit
I think everyone should retire at 60 and yes we should have an income £28,000 and get help especially wirh everything going up and up
Right Donna Mason
I totally agree Donna I’m nearly 64 still working as a catering assistant in a very very busy high school And I’ve still got 3 years to go I honestly don’t think I’ll be here to claim my pension from the state and if I am I’ll be too bloody Old And knackered to enjoy it 🤔🤔
I totally agree we paid into our pension it’s not a benefit
Pension is NOT a benefit
I worked flat out 18 hours a day for 48 years
Pay up what I am owed!!!
I don’t know why governments haven’t considered this proposal. The first impression is that the cost to the country would be astronomical, but on further analysis, so would the savings.
No more pension credit, council tax relief, free prescriptions, bus passes, cost of living payments and no more energy subsidies would be the main saving. Most pensioners would not be a lot better off, and quite a few would actually be down on the deal. As our American friends would say,you should be careful what you wish for.
State pension is not a benefit, if thats the case then the goverment should cancel the national insurance stamp, that all us pensioners paid along with our taxes.
I paid 45 years of full stamp, i started full time work in 1971 and worked all my life full time. My retirement age as a woman was 60, but then the goal post was moved to 66.
The full state pension of £230 per week works out for my full time hours of 40 hrs per week = £5.75 per hour. Well below the living wage. And now we get taxed again, so double wammy for pensioners.
And now that want to up retirement age so we drop dead at work and they dont have to pay out.
Also if pensioners had the state pension they were promised all those years ago, in line with real inflation and living wage we would NOT NEED OTHER BENEFITS which in turn saves more money in the long run or am i just dumb.
Dont keep going on about pension credit as with having just the full state pension YOU DO NOT QUALIFY.
I am all for an increase in my pension. If ex pats retired abroad AFTER retirement age, then yes they deserve to get an uplift, but if they moved abroad BEFORE retirement age, if they haven’t paid into the system for years, then sorry if they said they don’t get. Also anyone earning over £100.000per year do not need state pension. Give them a taxincentive like Australia do instead.
Hello Linda Knott,
But they did not think about the welfare of people.
Hi I have been nock for my full pension and I care for my mum for 8 years or more I have been told if I paid all different prices I would get full pension. So I paid what thay said and still have not received full pension will I get paid £549 a week pension
Yes I 100% agree I worked 36 years 63 years old and my body telling me I had enough,I belive workers are victimised we paid our tax and insurance all our life’s would you.not think someone who worked 30._40yesrs deserves a state pension I belive the government are very unfair its not a benefit we worked for this state pension it’s so cruel to call it a benefit people have earned it why not give it when you have full state pension
I was a full time carer for my Mother before retirement, and beyond but when I received my State Pension at age 66, the Carers Allowance ceased as it was classed as an overlapping benefit. We were never informed, at that time, that Mum would then be entitled to receive Pension Credit, because they ‘don’t have the capacity to let everyone know’, so Mum missed out on 18 months money, whilst still paying Council Tax, and they would only back pay 3 months . . it’s all cockeyed!
I started work at 15years old,till I retired,at 60paid all my stamps and tax and get the full state pension,i don’t class it as a benefit,and neither should they,549£ a week,personally I can’t see it happening myself,yet they spend millions a day on illegal immigrants,and they should not tax pensions
I am discusted with this government what they have done to the pensioners. As a newbie I cannot live on that money they so call a benefit which it is not. No heating allowance I will ever see. Taxing the private pensions you work so hard to get and can’t even get that only half of it if you’re lucky. I am ashamed of this country not looking after their own people. Utter disgrace
I’m 66 and disabled, my pension only just helps me pay bills ( gas,electric, water, food, etc)
Pensioners and disable always seem to miss out on annual rises….
Pensioners need all the help they can get .
I would like to sign being a pensioner myself on state pension
I would like to sign the agreement
I want to sign I’m a pensioner I’m in my 70 s
I think it is a good idea for retirement people
I’ll sign but won’t do any good , not with Starmer in charge , us pensioners are the lowest of the low to this government, lower than illegal immigrants, in 2023 it cost £20,000 a year to keep an illegal immigrant , why do pensioners have to live on half that , after all we’ve paid in , they haven’t, giving them our money .