Pensioner failed to receive state pension ‘due to computer glitch’

Peter O’Reilly: Pensioner whose state pension failed to arrive was told by DWP ‘hundreds of others’ could be affected by a computer glitch which changed people’s addresses

A 79-year-old whose £613 state pension failed to arrive this month was told a computer glitch involving people’s addresses had affected him and ‘hundreds of others’.

Peter O’Reilly says first his annual state pension letter did not arrive, then his latest payment due on 10 April was missed.

When he rang the Department for Work and Pensions, he discovered the address attached to his NI number was wrong.

Many people are anxiously awaiting their state pensions right now following a 10.1 per cent increase, although as it is paid in arrears the rise will not feed through all at once into this month’s payments.

Mr O’Reilly, a retired journalist who has lived at the same address in Leeds for a decade, says after a half hour wait to get through a DWP staff member initially told him his details had been flagged as ‘change of circumstance’.

He was given a separate number to call, and after a further half hour wait he reached another staff member who read out an address the DWP held on his records that was was incorrect.

Mr O’Reilly was told the error would be corrected and his state pension paid in two to three days, but in the event the money arrived in his account almost immediately.

Although his problem was swiftly sorted out, Mr O’Reilly was concerned other pensioners in more immediate need of cash could be affected.

He contacted This is Money to tell us: ‘After ages on phone just been told that along with “hundreds of others” that my state pension was not paid this month because a computer glitch had inadvertently changed our addresses.’

He added: ‘In my case it’s no great sweat. But if you are waiting to pay your meter and your pension doesn’t arrive what do you do?’

We asked the DWP how many people have not received their state pension payment as a result of the computer problem experienced by Mr O’Reilly.

We also asked whether the DWP was contacting them proactively, or if it has to wait for people to get in touch because it does not know who or how many have been affected.

The DWP did not respond by the time of publication.

This month, the full flat rate state pension jumped 10.1 per cent to £203.85 a week or £10,600 a year, after the Government honoured its triple lock state pension pledge aimed at ensuring pensioners receive a decent rise in income every year.

Those who retired on the basic rate before April 2016 will get £156.20 a week or £8,120 a year.

That lower amount is topped up by additional state pension entitlements – S2P and Serps – if accrued during working years.

Our pensions columnist Steve Webb explains here how different elements of the state pension, like graduated and SERPS (the second state pension, for those who earned it in the past) will be hiked from this month.