The State Pension

The State Pension is a regular payment made by the government to people who have reached State Pension age. It can be a valuable foundation for your retirement income if you qualify, so make sure you claim it. You will not get your State Pension automatically.

Summary

  • The State Pension age is currently 66 and it is gradually increasing.
  • There are two systems: basic State Pension and new State Pension.
  • The amount you will get is based on your National Insurance contributions.
  • You must make a claim for your pension - you will not get it automatically.

When can I get my State Pension?

You can get your State Pension when you reach State Pension age. The State Pension age no longer depends on your gender. It’s currently 66. There are plans to raise the State Pension age in the future.

Use Gov.uk to check your State Pension age.

Which State Pension can I claim?

The government introduced changes in 2016 that simplified the State Pension. This means there are two systems in place – the new State Pension and the basic State Pension. The one you’ll claim depends on when you reach your State Pension age.

You can claim the new State Pension if you’re:

  • a woman born on or after 6 April 1953
  • a man born on or after 6 April 1951.

You can claim the basic State Pension if you’re:

  • a woman born before 6 April 1953
  • a man born before 6 April 1951.

You can choose to delay (defer) your State Pension. When you do claim it, you’ll still get it under the system you qualify for based on your age.

How is my State Pension calculated?

Your State Pension is based on your National Insurance (NI) contributions, or sometimes on your partner’s NI contributions. You might have got these by:

  • paying NI while working
  • claiming NI credits while you were getting certain benefits, such as while you were unemployed or caring for someone
  • making voluntary NI contributions. 

You’ll need NI contributions for a certain number of qualifying years to get a State Pension. How many depends on whether you claim the basic State Pension or the new State Pension.

You can get a free personalised State Pension forecast from the Future Pension Centre. This will tell you how much you’re likely to get based on your current National Insurance record.

What is the basic State Pension?

You can get the basic State Pension if you reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016. This means you’re:

  • a woman born before 6 April 1953
  • a man born before 6 April 1951.

The full rate for basic State Pension is £184.90 a week for 2026/27. But the exact amount you’ll get could be more or less than this.

  • You need 30 or more qualifying years of NI contributions to get a full basic State Pension.
  • If you have less than this, you’ll get a reduced basic Pension rate. This is 1/30th for each qualifying year you do have. So, if you had 20 qualifying years of NI contributions, you’d get 20/30ths of the full pension amount every week: £184.90 ÷ 30 x 20 = £123.26.
  • You’ll usually need at least one qualifying year of NI contributions to get any basic State Pension.

If you qualify for Additional State Pension, it will be automatically added to your basic State Pension – unless you were contracted out.

If you’re not able to get a basic State Pension, you might be able to 'top up' your pension by using your spouse or civil partner’s NI contributions. You will not be able to do this if you were self-employed. You should get this increase automatically. If you do not, but you think you qualify, contact the Pension Service. 

What is the new State Pension?

You can get the new State Pension if you reach your State Pension age on or after 6 April 2016. This means you’re:

  • a woman born on or after 6 April 1953
  • a man born on or after 6 April 1951.

The full rate for new State Pension is £241.30 a week for 2026/27. But the amount you get could be more or less than this.

  • You need 35 qualifying years or more of NI contributions to get a full new State Pension.
  • If you’ve got between 10 and 35 qualifying years, you’ll get part of the full rate. This is 1/35th for each qualifying year you have. So, if you have 20 years, for example, you’d get 20/35ths of the full rate: £241.30 ÷ 35 x 20 = £137.88.
  • If you’ve got under 10 qualifying years, you will not usually get any State Pension.

You will not get any Additional State Pension under the new State Pension rules. You also will not be able to claim on your spouse or civil partner’s NI contributions – with some exceptions if you’re widowed or divorced.

If you were contracted out of Additional State Pension during your working life – for example, you paid into certain workplace pensions instead – you’ll get a reduced amount under the new State Pension. Contact the Pension Service for advice or read our factsheet Understanding your State Pension for more information.

If you do not have enough years to get the full new State Pension, you may be able to pay voluntary NI contributions to increase how much you get. Or you might be able to claim Pension Credit if your income is low.

How do I claim my State Pension?

You need to make a claim for your pension – you will not get it automatically.

You should get a letter inviting you to claim up to four months before you reach State Pension age. But you can still claim if you do not get a letter. 

  • You can claim online up to three months before you reach State Pension age. You’ll need the invitation code from the letter about getting your State Pension. If you have not received this, you can ask for a code on the government website.
  • You can also claim by phone or by post. Call the State Pension claim line up to four months before you reach State Pension age. Visit Gov.uk for contact details.
  • If you’re claiming the basic State Pension, you can download a claim form from Gov.uk.
  • If you’re claiming from abroad, contact the International Pension Centre.

For more information, contact the Pension Service.

How can I delay my State Pension?

You can delay (defer) claiming your State Pension. For each year you delay, your State Pension will be boosted by around 5% under the new State Pension, or around 10% under the basic State Pension. 

You do not have to do anything – simply delay claiming your pension. 

If you’re getting certain benefits, you will not be able to get any extra State Pension by delaying your claim. It could also affect your entitlement to some benefits. Visit Gov.uk for more information about deferring your State Pension.

Is my State Pension taxed?

Pensions are taxable. The State Pension is paid without tax taken off, but it uses up some of your tax-free personal allowance, which is currently £12,570. You will have to pay tax on anything over that. This applies whether you get the basic State Pension or the new State Pension. Read our tax webpage for more information.

What if my State Pension has been underpaid?

If you qualify for basic State Pension and can claim State Pension ‘top-ups’, these are usually calculated for you. But some people – particularly women who paid reduced NI rates – may have had their State Pension miscalculated and underpaid.

If you think this affects you, contact the Pension Service to ask them to recalculate your State Pension. You can do this whether you’re claiming or delaying your State Pension. You can also contact our Helpline to speak to an adviser.

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Next steps

Our factsheet Understanding Your State Pension has more examples of how your State Pension is worked out.

If you’ve reached State Pension age and your income is low, check if you could be getting Pension Credit.

Check you're getting any benefits you're entitled to using our benefits calculator.

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