Benefits & Pensions
DWP and pensions news: state pension rates and the triple lock, state pension age, Universal Credit, PIP, cost of living payments, benefit payment dates and eligibility changes. Desk editor: Alexander Ingram (AiMoney).
Universal Credit Housing Benefit changes 2026 start for 325,000
New DWP benefit changes 2026 let working-age residents of supported housing and temporary accommodation keep more of their earnings, the government said. The benefit cap and capital limits are unchanged.
Andy Burnham State Pension triple lock plan 2026: ‘a fairer deal’
Burnham says the State Pension will keep rising and calls his plan 'a fairer deal'. Nothing changes until April 2030; the April 2027 rise is still 3.9%.
DWP paid £170m in pensions after recipients died in record year
A record £170m in pension payments was made after the recipients had died, Metro reports. The TaxPayers' Alliance says the overpayment shows a "serious weakness" in the system.
Access to Work: claimant says her award was cut by 85% as DWP cites rising demand
One disabled worker says her Access to Work grant has fallen by 85%, and that there is no formal appeal beyond a single reconsideration. The DWP says demand has grown sharply and nearly 500 extra staff are clearing a backlog.
Social Security recovery rules tighten with new 2026 regulations
New regulations provide for Direct Deduction Orders on bank accounts and driving disqualification applications as Social Security debt recovery widens. Here is what is known so far.
Housing Benefit work incentive changes from October 2026 affect 325,000 people
New rules that took effect on 5 October mean Housing Benefit claimants encouraged to work should lose less as earnings rise. The government says 325,000 people in supported housing and temporary accommodation are affected.
State pension retirement age: UK workers’ petition tops 50,000
A petition to lower the state pension age to 65 has 50,807 signatures, about half the 100,000 needed for debate consideration. The government must already respond.
State pension triple lock to change from April 2030
Andy Burnham's state pension plan would remove the earnings link from the triple lock from April 2030. A former pensions minister says that leaves pensions about £1,000 a year lower by 2040.
Supported housing benefit changes 2026: more of your earnings ignored
New rules from Monday 5 October let people in supported housing and temporary accommodation keep more of their earnings out of the Housing Benefit calculation, the DWP says.
About our Benefits & Pensions coverage
Dates and amounts are checked against official DWP and GOV.UK sources before we publish. If a story is based on a proposal rather than a confirmed change, we say so clearly.