<Tr> <Th> Royal assent </Th> <Td> 1908 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> Status: Repealed </Th> </Tr> <P> The Old - Age Pensions Act 1908 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom, passed in 1908 . The Act is often regarded as one of the foundations of modern social welfare in the United Kingdom and forms part of the wider social welfare reforms of the Liberal Government of 1906--1914 . </P> <P> The Act provided for a non-contributory old age pension for people over the age of 70, with the cost being borne by younger generations . It was enacted in January 1909 and paid a weekly pension of 5s a week (7s 6d for married couples) to half a million who were eligible . The level of benefit was deliberately set low to encourage workers to also make their own provision for retirement . In order to be eligible, they had to be earning less than £ 31 . 10s . per year, and had to pass a' character test'; only those with a' good character' could receive the pensions . You also had to have been a UK resident for at least 20 years to be eligible and people who hadn't worked their whole life were also not eligible . </P>

When did old age pensions start in england