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State second pension meaning

What does State second pension mean?
The State Second Pension (S2P) is the former UK earnings-related additional State Pension, commonly encountered when advising on pension entitlement, divorce/financial remedies and employment transactions. Created by social security/pensions legislation in Great Britain and mirrored in Northern Ireland, it replaced SERPS on 6 April 2002 and stopped accruing on 5 April 2016 when the new State Pension began. It is not a feature of the Irish (Republic of Ireland) system. S2P accrued through National Insurance records and provided an additional amount to the basic State Pension. It included credits for low earners and some carers. Individuals and employers could be contracted out via occupational or personal pension schemes, which reduced S2P accrual in exchange for lower NI and/or rebate funding. Payment and valuation now depend on State Pension age: - Reached before 6 April 2016: S2P is paid in addition to the basic State Pension. - Reached on/after 6 April 2016: pre‑2016 SERPS/S2P rights are reflected in the “starting amount” for the new State Pension, with any contracted‑out deduction (often shown as COPE). Practitioners should verify NI records, contracting‑out history and DWP forecasts when quantifying legacy S2P rights.
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CHECKLISTS
UK State Pension rates and earnings cap: historical figures by tax year 1989/90 to 2026/27 (pre-2016 basic and post-2016 single-tier)

The single tier State Pension (on and from 6 April 2016) On 6 April 2016, the Basic State Pension was overhauled and replaced by a single-tier, flat-rate pension, merging the Basic State Pension with the Second State Pension. From that date, men and women alike must have 35 qualifying years of National Insurance contributions to receive the full flat-rate amount. Marital status makes no difference to the level paid. Tax year Amount (per week) 2026/2027 £241.30 2025/2026 £230.25 2024/2025 £221.20 2023/2024 £203.85 2022/2023 £185.15 2021/2022 £179.60 2020/2021 £175.20 2019/2020 £168.60 2018/2019 £164.35 2017/2018 £159.55 2016/2017 £155.65 The Basic State Pension (before 6 April 2016) Before 6 April 2016, the Basic State Pension comprised the Basic State Pension and the Second State Pension. There was a third, minor, component known as the graduated pension that depended on graduated National Insurance contributions paid by employees while the graduated scheme ran from 1961 to...

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NEWS
UK and EU financial services update: APP scams regime, sanctions changes, FCA enforcement, banks’ resolvability, crypto promotions compliance, EU AI Act and Solvency II—8 August 2024

In this issue: UK, EU and international Regulators and bodies Financial crime and sanctions Complaints, compensation and claims management Investigations, enforcement and discipline Dispute resolution for financial services lawyers Regulation of derivatives Banks and Mutuals Consumer credit, mortgage and home finance Regulation of insurance Payment systems and services Fintech and cryptoassets AI in financial services Financial Services Enforcement Database Daily and weekly news alerts Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary UK, EU and international Regulators and bodies House of Lords confirms the Financial Services Regulation Committee and restarts its inquiries Following the State Opening of Parliament on Wednesday 17 July 2024, the House of Lords reappointed the Financial Services Regulation Committee on Monday 29 July 2024. See: LNB News 05/08/2024 60. Financial crime and sanctions NCA and UKFIU issue SARs Reporter Booklet August 2024 The National...

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NEWS
UK Public Law weekly: Autumn Budget 2024, Brexit SIs, judicial review, procurement guidance and reforms, subsidy control, NSIP legal challenges, information law—31 October 2024

In this issue: Autumn Budget 2024 Brexit highlights Post-Brexit transition guidance Brexit SIs Constitutional and administrative law Judicial review State accountability and liability Public procurement Subsidy control and State aid Projects and infrastructure Management and strategic planning Information law Daily and weekly news alerts New and updated content Dates for your diary Trackers Useful information Autumn Budget 2024 Autumn Budget 2024—key Public Law announcements In the Autumn Budget 2024, on 30 October 2024, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon Rachel Reeves MP, set out a series of measures of interest to Public Law practitioners, touching on devolved matters, state security and intelligence, state accountability and liability, Ukraine policy, public procurement, projects and infrastructure, the state pension, and trade. Paul Maile, partner and head of planning and infrastructure consenting at Eversheds Sutherland, and Clive Weber, consultant at Wedlake Bell, provide commentary on the proposals. See:...

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NEWS
UK pensions law update: Pension Schemes Bill investment mandation powers—call for evidence; TPR net zero plan; PPF administration levy abolition; dashboards rollout progress and key dates (10 July 2025)

In this issue: Pension Schemes Bill Funding, surplus and investment Pension Protection Fund Pensions Dashboards Dates for your diary Trackers Pension Schemes Bill Call for evidence on Pension Schemes Bill launched amid concerns over Bill’s investment mandation powers The House of Commons Public Bill Committee opened a call for evidence on 8 July 2025 concerning the Pension Schemes Bill. Its line-by-line scrutiny is due to begin on 2 September 2025, with a report expected by 23 October 2025. In the interim, the Committee invites those with pertinent expertise, practical experience, or a particular interest in the Bill to send written submissions swiftly so they can be considered before the deadline. Once the Committee finishes its examination of the Pension Schemes Bill, it will no longer accept written evidence. This request follows the Bill’s Second Reading in the House of Commons on 7 July 2025, presented by the Pensions Minister, Torsten Bell, together with Under-Secretary of State Andrew...

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PRACTICE NOTES
Abolition of money purchase (DC) contracting-out from 6 April 2012: protected rights removal, scheme rule changes, underpins, transfers and disclosure obligations

ARCHIVED: This archived Practice Note centres on the abolition of contracting-out on a money purchase (or protected rights) basis, taking effect from 6 April 2012. It is not maintained and remains archived. For general information concerning the meaning of contracting-out, see the Practice Note entitled: What does ‘contracting-out’ mean for pension lawyers? Contracting-out on a money purchase basis before 6 April 2012 Contracting-out was the route by which an individual (whether employed or self-employed) could choose to waive accrual of the part of the State pension which, before 6 April 2016, was called the additional State pension (or Second State Pension (S2P)). Contracting-out on a money purchase basis (also known as DC contracting-out) first became possible in April 1988. A money purchase form of contracting-out required the relevant contracted-out pension scheme to grant members ‘protected rights’ in lieu of the state benefits forgone as a consequence of contracting-out. Schemes contracted-out on a money purchase basis Before 6 April 2012, protected rights could be provided through the...

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PRACTICE NOTES
UK State Pensions: Basic, SERPS/S2P, Graduated and New State Pension: SPA changes, entitlement, qualifying years, NI credits, contracting-out, deferral, overseas uprating and Brexit

Brexit impact The UK ceased to be an EU Member State on exit day, 31 January 2020. Under the Withdrawal Agreement, the state pension and benefit rights of UK nationals residing in the EU, European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland are protected. See: Benefits and pensions for UK nationals in the EU, EEA or Switzerland. Likewise, information on the entitlements of EEA and Swiss citizens to UK benefits and state pensions is set out at: Benefits and pensions for EEA and Swiss citizens in the UK. State pensions A state retirement pension depends on an individual’s National Insurance (NI) contribution record and may consist of up to three elements: the basic old age pension the State Second Pension (S2P—formerly the State Earnings Related Pension Scheme, SERPS) the graduated pension Payments are generally made gross, with tax collected through Pay As You Earn (PAYE) against a person’s other income, such as an occupational or private pension. Income tax can also...

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PRACTICE NOTES
Auto-enrolment in workplace pensions: categorising workers and jobholders, territorial scope, qualifying earnings, pay reference periods, exceptions and contractual enrolment (England and Wales)

FORTHCOMING DEVELOPMENT : The Pensions (Extension of Automatic Enrolment) (No. 2) Bill secured Royal Assent on 18 September 2023, becoming the Pensions (Extension of Automatic Enrolment) Act 2023 (the Act), and was published on 19 September 2023. The Act confers powers on the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to make regulations to: lower the minimum age at which otherwise eligible employees must be automatically enrolled and re-enrolled into a pension scheme by their employers; remove the Lower Earnings Limit from the qualifying earnings band so that contributions are calculated from the first pound of earnings; and revise the requirements for the annual review of the qualifying earnings band. Adjustments to automatic enrolment eligibility will proceed following a consultation on the detailed implementation method and timing. The commencement of section 1 of the Act is set to be ‘on such day or days as the Secretary of State may by regulations appoint’. For further information, see: DWP press release, Work...

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