UK pensioners getting triple full state pensions - up to £36,000

Hundreds of pensioners are receiving triple the full state pension amount from the Department for Work and Pensions (SWP), it has been revealed. Retirees have been told that the DWP system quirks can create large disparities in retirement incomes.

A "full" new state pension pays £230.25 a week, or £11,973 a year. But 324 retirees receive at least £692.30 a week in state pension payments, equating to an annual income of £36,000, according to calculations based on Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) data. The "basic" element of the old state pension is currently £176.45 a week, or £9,175.40 a year. But many older retirees also draw money from an additional earnings-related pension, commonly known as Serps, for a maximum of £222.10 per week. And deferring payments can make DWP payouts increase further. Former Liberal Democrats pensions minister Sir Steve Webb has spoken out alongside the data. He said: "These figures are a reminder that outcomes under the old state pension system could vary hugely, with some people receiving very large pensions and others very small ones.

"In particular, some people with very large entitlements to the additional state pension on top of their basic pension could have pensions of £300 per week or more, significantly higher than the standard rate of the new state pension.

"In the future, it will not be possible to build up state pensions this large, but there are significant numbers of people who retired before 2016 who will continue to enjoy pensions above the new flat rate."

Tom McPhail, an independent pensions expert, said: "The old state pension system produced some spectacular winners, compared to the new state pension, but it also tended to be more unequal - some did very well, others largely missed out.

"For younger workers today, facing poorer private pensions, later retirement and a state pension that is being rapidly overtaken by taxes, it is understandable if they feel hard done by."

Last year, The Telegraph revealed that a group of six retirees pocket between £46,800 and £52,000 a year. At the opposite end of the scale, there are around 1,100 pensioners who receive 10p or less each week.

These differences often negatively impact women, who tend to earn less than men and have fewer years in paid work, meaning they received less additional state pension.