Post comparing state pension and House of Lords allowance uses old figures

A Facebook post comparing the state pension and the daily attendance allowance for members of the House of Lords uses figures that are out of date.

The post says: “Full state pension - £179.60 a week. House of Lords attendance allowance - £323 a day. It’s really not hard to see where we’re going wrong.”

However, these figures were correct for the financial year 2021/22—both have increased since then, with the new state pension increasing by a higher percentage. 

This is not the first time we’ve seen this claim—it circulated widely in 2022 when the figures were broadly right.

We’ve previously written about other false claims about the pay and expenses claimed by politicians, including former prime ministers and MPs. 

The new state pension 

In 2024/25, the full rate of the new state pension is £221.20 a week, but not everyone will receive this amount. 

The size of someone’s state pension depends on a number of factors, including how many years they paid National Insurance contributions and when they reached pension age (people born before a certain date receive the basic state pension). People who paid into an Additional State Pension before 2016 may get more than the weekly £221.20, and those with an overall low income may receive Pension Credit.

The state pension has increased by 8.5% this financial year as a result of the ‘triple lock’, which means the state pension increases each year in line with average earnings growth, CPI inflation or by 2.5%—whichever is the highest. This measure was first introduced by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition for the financial year 2011/12 and, other than a temporary suspension after the Covid pandemic, has been in place ever since. 

House of Lords daily allowance

From 1 April 2024, the daily allowance for members of the Lords increased to £361 for each sitting day involving parliamentary work at Westminster. This figure is subject to an annual review. When doing other types of official work away from the House, members can claim a reduced daily allowance of £180. Certain travel costs can also be expensed. 

Members who receive ministerial or office holders’ salaries, such as the Lord Speaker, are not eligible to claim these allowances.

While these allowances are not liable for income tax, state pension payments may be, although the new full state pension, at the time of writing, is below the tax-free Personal Allowance.