DWP rules out Waspi payouts of £1,000 to £2,950 for 1950s women again

The Department for Work and Pensions has ruled out compensation for women born in the 1950s. It rejected an official recommendation that those affected should get between £1,000 and £2,950 each. According to the Daily Mirror, a new decision published on Tuesday confirmed that no scheme will be set up for women hit by failings in how rises to their State Pension age were communicated.

The ruling is another blow for Waspi campaigners, who have spent years pressing for redress. The Mirror reports that as many as 3.5 million women could potentially have been affected. Even so, ministers have once again refused to pay.

The department put its position bluntly. "Introducing a financial compensation scheme is neither fair nor feasible and would not represent good value for taxpayers, and, as a consequence, one will not be set up," the DWP said. For the women involved, that means an apology but no money.

Why ministers reopened the Waspi decision and still said no

This is not the first time the Government has turned down compensation. It first rejected payouts in December 2024. Ministers then had to look again after a legal challenge uncovered a 2007 DWP research report that had not been considered when the original decision was made. According to the Mirror, that report examined how well pension communications worked and found that unsolicited pension forecasts had only a limited influence on people's awareness and retirement planning.

Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden promised a new decision once the evidence had been reviewed. The Government's updated conclusion is that the extra material does not change its overall stance. "We have decided against introducing financial compensation for women affected by the delay in sending out State Pension age letters," the DWP said.

Ministers argue that the delay caused no direct financial loss because, in their view, most women already knew their State Pension age was going up. "The evidence is also clear that the majority of 1950s-born women knew that State Pension age was changing," the document states. Campaigners see it very differently, and the Mirror expects the decision to fuel fresh outrage among those who have fought for years.

The 1950s-born women left with an apology but no payout

The women at the centre of the row were born in the 1950s and affected by the 1995 Pensions Act, which raised their State Pension age. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) found they suffered an injustice because the DWP was slow to tell them about the changes. It found maladministration in two areas, ruling that decisions taken between 2005 and 2007 caused a 28-month delay in starting a direct mailing campaign to the women affected.

The Ombudsman recommended compensation at level four on its injustice scale, which works out at between £1,000 and £2,950 per person, and urged Parliament to consider a way of paying redress. The DWP has accepted the finding on delay and apologised. "We are sorry that we did not send individual letters earlier in this case," it said, but that apology comes with no money.

Officials also say a fair scheme could not be built, because it would be too hard to work out what each woman knew, or what she might have done differently, over two decades ago. "Making awards to up to 3.5 million people, very many of whom will not have suffered injustice and/or will have been aware that the State Pension age was increasing, is neither fair nor affordable," the department concluded.

Key numbers

• £1,000 to £2,950: the range of payments the Ombudsman's level four recommendation works out at.
• 3.5 million: the number of women who could potentially have been affected, according to the Mirror.
• £3.5 billion to £10.3 billion: the DWP's estimate of what compensating all affected women at the recommended level could cost, not counting administration.
• 28-month delay: how late the direct mailing campaign started, according to the Ombudsman, because of decisions made between 2005 and 2007.
• December 2024: when the Government first rejected compensation.
• 2007: the year of the DWP research report, uncovered by a legal challenge, that forced ministers to look at the case again.

What happens next for Waspi campaigners

For now, nothing changes. The Government says no compensation scheme will be set up, and the Mirror reports that its updated position appears to offer scant hope of payouts without further legal or political pressure. No date has been published for any further review, vote or court hearing.

Ministers have argued that a scheme of this size risked handing large sums to women who already knew about the changes or suffered no injustice. Campaigners will now have to decide whether to challenge that reasoning again, and the Government has given no sign that it will move.

What you can do now

This decision is about compensation for the late letters. It does not affect State Pension payments. If you have not yet reached State Pension age, the lesson of this row is to check your own dates rather than wait for a letter. GOV.UK says the State Pension age is regularly reviewed, and you can check your State Pension forecast to see how much you could get, when you can get it and whether you can increase it, for example by filling gaps in your record.

According to GOV.UK, that forecast service cannot be used once you are already getting your State Pension or have deferred it. If you are over State Pension age and on a low income, it may be worth looking into Pension Credit. It is paid separately from the State Pension and can also open the door to other help.

If you want ministers to hear your view on the Waspi decision, you can write to your MP, who can raise the case with the DWP. Keep any old letters or pension statements you hold, in case the issue comes back through the courts or Parliament.

Your questions answered

Will Waspi women get any compensation?

Not under the Government's current position. The DWP has said a financial compensation scheme is neither fair nor feasible and that one will not be set up. The Mirror reports that the decision offers scant hope of payouts without further legal or political pressure.

Why did the Government look at the case again?

Ministers had already rejected compensation in December 2024. A legal challenge then brought to light a 2007 DWP research report that had not been considered, and Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden promised a new decision. The Government has now concluded that the extra evidence does not change its overall stance.

How much would paying compensation have cost?

The DWP says compensating all affected women at the level the Ombudsman recommended could cost between £3.5 billion and £10.3 billion, not counting administration. Ministers argue that many of the up to 3.5 million women would have received money even though they knew about the changes or suffered no injustice.