State Pension
State Pension
Understand what you could get, when you can get it and what to check
The State Pension is a regular payment from the government that can form an important part of your retirement income.
How much you receive depends mainly on your National Insurance record. When you can start receiving it depends on your date of birth.
That sounds simple enough, but the details can become confusing quite quickly. There are two State Pension systems, National Insurance gaps can affect what you receive, older periods of contracting out can change the calculation, and retiring does not necessarily mean your State Pension starts at the same time.
This hub brings the important bits together. You can use it to understand:
- How the State Pension works
- The difference between the new and basic State Pension
- How much you could receive
- When your State Pension can start
- How National Insurance qualifying years work
- What to do about gaps in your National Insurance record
- How the triple lock affects payments
- What happens if you retire before State Pension age
- Which calculators can help you explore your own retirement plan
For your actual State Pension entitlement, always use your personal GOV.UK State Pension forecast.
Rates on this page checked 16 September 2026.
The basics
What is the State Pension?
The State Pension is a regular payment from the UK government that you can claim when you reach State Pension age, provided you have enough qualifying years on your National Insurance record.
It is not automatically the same amount for everyone.
Your National Insurance history plays a major part in determining how much you receive. Qualifying years can come from working and paying National Insurance, receiving certain National Insurance credits, or in some cases making voluntary contributions.
You also normally need to claim your State Pension. Reaching State Pension age does not mean payments simply start automatically.
State Pension is not the same as Pension Credit
These are two different things.
State Pension is based mainly on your National Insurance record.
Pension Credit is a means-tested benefit for people over State Pension age who have a low income. Your income and circumstances are taken into account when assessing entitlement.
Some people can receive both.
If you are approaching retirement on a low income, do not assume that receiving a State Pension means there is no other support available.
Two systems
New State Pension or basic State Pension?
There are currently two main State Pension systems. Which one applies to you depends on when you reached, or will reach, State Pension age.
New State Pension
Applies to men born on or after 6 April 1951 and women born on or after 6 April 1953. For most people currently planning their retirement, this is the system that will apply.
The full new State Pension for the 2026/27 tax year is £241.30 a week. That is £12,547.60 over 52 weeks.
But the word full matters. You are not automatically entitled to £241.30 a week simply because you reach State Pension age. Your own amount depends on your National Insurance record and, for people with a record before April 2016, the transitional rules used when the new State Pension was introduced.
Basic State Pension
If you reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016, the older State Pension rules normally apply.
The full basic State Pension for 2026/27 is £184.90 a week.
Some people under the older system may also receive Additional State Pension or other amounts on top of their basic State Pension.
This is why comparing your State Pension with a friend or relative can be misleading. You may be on completely different systems. Not sure which system you are on? Start with your date of birth and the GOV.UK State Pension age checker, then your personal forecast.
Today’s rates
How much State Pension could I get?
For 2026/27, the full rate of the new State Pension is £241.30 a week. That works out at approximately £12,547.60 a year. The full basic State Pension is £184.90 a week.
Full new State Pension
£241.30
A week for 2026/27. About £12,547.60 a year if paid for 52 weeks.
Full basic State Pension
£184.90
A week for 2026/27 if you reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016.
Your actual amount
By NI
May be lower or higher than the headline full rate. Check your GOV.UK forecast.
Your actual payment can be different from these headline figures. For example, you may receive less than the full new State Pension if your National Insurance record does not support the full amount.
Some people can receive more than the headline full new State Pension because of a protected payment built up under the system that existed before April 2016.
The quickest way to stop guessing is to check your personal State Pension forecast on GOV.UK. That forecast is much more useful than simply counting the number of years on your National Insurance record. Full new rate details: What you’ll get. Basic rate: how much you get. Rates checked 16 September 2026.
Your record
How many National Insurance years do I need?
This is one of the most misunderstood parts of the State Pension.
You will often hear that you need 35 qualifying years for a full new State Pension. That needs a little context.
If your National Insurance record started after April 2016
You will normally need 35 qualifying years to receive the full new State Pension.
You normally need at least 10 qualifying years to receive any new State Pension.
Those years do not have to be consecutive.
If you had a National Insurance record before April 2016
The calculation can be different.
When the new State Pension was introduced, a starting amount was calculated using your previous National Insurance history.
So do not look at a record showing 35 years and automatically assume that means you have reached the maximum.
Check your State Pension forecast.
What counts
What is a qualifying year?
A qualifying year is a tax year that counts towards your State Pension record.
You do not necessarily need to have worked full-time throughout the year.
A qualifying year can be built through different routes, including:
- Paying National Insurance through employment
- Being treated as having paid National Insurance at certain earnings levels
- Some forms of self-employment
- Receiving National Insurance credits
- Paying eligible voluntary National Insurance contributions
National Insurance credits can be particularly important if you have spent time away from paid employment.
For example, credits may be available in certain circumstances when you are caring for someone, looking after children, unemployed, unable to work because of illness, or receiving particular benefits.
This is why a period out of paid employment does not automatically mean you have a gap in your State Pension record.
Check your National Insurance record on GOV.UK before assuming you need to pay anything.
Gaps
What if I have gaps in my National Insurance record?
A gap means a tax year has not counted as a qualifying year.
That does not automatically mean you need to fill it.
Start by checking your National Insurance record on GOV.UK. You can see which years count, where gaps exist and, in many cases, whether filling a particular gap could improve your State Pension forecast.
There are several reasons you might have a gap, including periods of low earnings, unemployment without credits, living abroad or not making sufficient National Insurance contributions.
Can I pay to fill a gap?
In some circumstances, yes.
Voluntary National Insurance contributions can sometimes be used to turn an incomplete year into a qualifying year.
But do not pay simply because a gap exists. A voluntary contribution does not always increase your State Pension.
Before paying, check:
- Whether the year is actually incomplete
- Whether you could receive National Insurance credits instead
- Whether you are allowed to fill that year
- How much it would cost
- Whether paying it would increase your State Pension
Our State Pension Gap Calculator and NI Top-Up Breakeven Calculator can help you explore the numbers.
Your GOV.UK record and forecast remain the starting point for your actual entitlement.
Older rules
What does contracted out mean?
If you were employed before April 2016, you may come across the phrase contracted out when looking at your State Pension.
Under the old system, some workplace pension schemes allowed employees to contract out of the Additional State Pension.
While contracted out, you or your employer generally paid lower National Insurance contributions, with pension provision being built elsewhere instead.
Contracting out ended in 2016.
The important point today is that a history of contracting out can affect the calculation of your new State Pension.
It does not necessarily mean those years are missing from your National Insurance record.
It does mean that simply counting your qualifying years may not tell you how much State Pension you will receive.
Again, your personal State Pension forecast is the useful number.
Timing
When can I get my State Pension?
Your State Pension does not necessarily start when you stop working.
It starts from your State Pension age, provided you claim it.
Your State Pension age depends on your date of birth.
The State Pension age is currently moving from 66 to 67 for affected age groups, so do not rely on an old assumption that everybody receives it at 65 or 66.
Use the official GOV.UK State Pension age checker for your exact date.
This distinction becomes particularly important if you want to retire early.
Stopping work at 60 does not bring your State Pension forward. You need another way to fund the years between stopping work and reaching State Pension age.
Annual rises
What is the State Pension triple lock?
The triple lock is the mechanism normally used to determine the annual increase in the basic and new State Pension.
Under the current approach, the relevant State Pension rate increases by the highest of:
- Average earnings growth
- Consumer Prices Index inflation
- 2.5%
This helps the State Pension keep pace with changes in prices and earnings over time.
It does not mean your individual State Pension will necessarily equal the headline full rate.
Your National Insurance record still determines your entitlement.
Some parts of State Pension payments, such as protected payments under the new State Pension, can also be increased differently.
Tax
Is the State Pension taxable?
Yes.
The State Pension counts as taxable income.
Tax is not normally deducted directly from the State Pension before it reaches you. Instead, HMRC looks at your wider taxable income.
That could include:
- State Pension
- Private pension income
- Workplace pension income
- Pension drawdown
- Earnings from work
- Other taxable income
Whether you actually pay Income Tax depends on your total taxable income and the tax rules that apply at the time.
This becomes particularly important if your State Pension sits alongside other pension income.
Delaying a claim
Can I defer my State Pension?
You do not have to claim your State Pension as soon as you reach State Pension age.
You can choose to defer it.
Under current new State Pension rules, delaying your claim can increase the weekly amount you eventually receive. You normally need to defer for at least nine weeks to receive an increase.
That does not automatically mean deferring is financially better.
You are giving up State Pension payments now in return for a higher payment later.
Your health, other retirement income, tax position and how you would fund the period of deferral can all matter.
Check the current GOV.UK deferral rules before making a decision.
Early retirement
Retiring before State Pension age
For many people planning early retirement, this is actually the more important problem.
Imagine you want to stop work at 60 but your State Pension does not begin until 67.
You have a seven-year gap to fund.
During those years, your spending might need to come from:
- Cash savings
- ISAs
- Private pensions
- Pension drawdown
- Investment accounts
- Rental or other income
- Part-time work
Once your State Pension starts, the amount required from those other sources may fall.
That creates two distinct phases in your retirement:
Before State Pension: more of your lifestyle may need to come from your own money.
After State Pension: State Pension provides another source of regular taxable income.
This is why knowing that you might eventually receive £12,000 or more a year from State Pension is only part of the retirement-planning picture.
You also need to know how you are going to reach it.
Try your numbers
State Pension calculators
Your GOV.UK State Pension forecast tells you about your personal entitlement. Our calculators are designed to help with the questions around it.
State Pension Forecast Calculator
Explore when your State Pension could start and how future payments might change under simple assumptions.
Open forecast calculatorState Pension Gap Calculator
Explore how qualifying years can affect the new State Pension and what a shortfall might mean.
Open gap calculatorNI Top-Up Breakeven Calculator
Compare the cost of an eligible voluntary National Insurance contribution with the additional State Pension it might produce.
Open top-up calculatorWider plan
Planning around State Pension
State Pension rarely sits on its own. For many households it arrives alongside private pensions, ISAs, workplace pensions and other income. These calculators help connect it to the wider retirement picture.
Six planning tools
Calculators that put State Pension in context
Stopping work, funding the wait, income mix, drawdown and replacement ratio.
Can I Retire Calculator
See whether your pensions, savings and spending could support stopping work, including the years before State Pension begins.
Open Can I RetireBridge to Retirement Calculator
Explore how you might fund the period between stopping work and later retirement income beginning.
Open bridge calculatorRetirement Income Calculator
Bring State Pension, private pensions and other income together to see what your retirement income could look like.
Open retirement incomeRetirement Drawdown Planner
Explore how withdrawals from your own retirement pots could change before and after State Pension begins.
Open drawdown plannerRetirement Withdrawal Strategy Calculator
Compare different ways of taking money from pensions, ISAs and other pots during retirement.
Open withdrawal strategyIncome Replacement Ratio Calculator
Compare your expected retirement income with the income you had while working.
Open replacement ratioNext steps
A simple State Pension checklist
If you are trying to understand your own position, work through it in this order:
- Check your State Pension ageUse the GOV.UK State Pension age checker for your exact date.
- Check your State Pension forecastGet your personal entitlement on GOV.UK.
- Check your National Insurance recordSee which years count on your NI record.
- Investigate any gaps before paying to fill themCredits or voluntary contributions may help, but paying is not always worthwhile.
- Put the State Pension into your wider retirement planUse the planning calculators above for the years before State Pension begins and the income mix after.
That gives you a much more useful picture than looking at the headline weekly State Pension rate on its own.
From the founder
Ryan’s thoughts
I’d think of the State Pension as one part of your retirement income, rather than the retirement plan itself.
Find out what you’re likely to get and when you’ll get it. Then look at what you’re building alongside it through workplace pensions, private pensions, ISAs and other savings.
If retirement is still some way off, that’s actually useful. You’ve got time to keep adding to the other pieces.
The State Pension gives you a base. What you build around it can give you more choice over when you stop working and what retirement looks like.
Ryan Gibson · Founder, Retirement Calculators
State Pension questions
Short answers to the questions people actually ask. For your own amount, claim and NI record, start on GOV.UK.
What is the State Pension?
The State Pension is a regular taxable payment from the UK government.
You can normally claim it once you reach State Pension age if you have enough qualifying years on your National Insurance record.
Your amount depends mainly on that National Insurance record.
How much is the State Pension in 2026/27?
The full new State Pension is £241.30 a week for 2026/27.
The full basic State Pension is £184.90 a week.
Your actual amount may be different, so check your personal State Pension forecast on GOV.UK.
What is the difference between the new and basic State Pension?
The new State Pension applies to men born on or after 6 April 1951 and women born on or after 6 April 1953.
People born before those dates fall under the older basic State Pension system and may also have Additional State Pension or other elements.
Do I automatically get the full State Pension?
No.
Your entitlement depends on your National Insurance record and the rules that apply to you.
Do not assume that reaching State Pension age automatically means you receive the headline full rate.
Do I need 35 years of National Insurance for a full State Pension?
If your National Insurance record started after April 2016, you will normally need 35 qualifying years for the full new State Pension.
If you had a National Insurance record before April 2016, transitional rules can apply. In particular, previous contracting out can mean you need more than 35 qualifying years to reach the full rate.
Your State Pension forecast is therefore more reliable than simply counting years.
What is the minimum number of qualifying years?
You normally need at least 10 qualifying years to receive any new State Pension.
They do not need to be 10 consecutive years.
Different rules apply to the older basic State Pension.
What counts as a qualifying year?
Qualifying years can come from paying National Insurance through work, receiving National Insurance credits or making eligible voluntary contributions.
Check your National Insurance record on GOV.UK to see which years count.
Should I pay voluntary National Insurance to fill a gap?
Not automatically.
Some gaps can be filled with voluntary contributions, but paying does not always increase your State Pension.
Check your National Insurance record and State Pension forecast before paying. You should also check whether you are entitled to National Insurance credits instead. Use the NI Top-Up Breakeven Calculator to test the numbers first.
What was contracting out?
Before April 2016, some workplace pension schemes allowed people to contract out of the Additional State Pension.
This can affect the calculation of your new State Pension today.
A contracted-out year is not necessarily a missing qualifying year, which is one reason simply counting your National Insurance years can be misleading.
When can I claim my State Pension?
You can claim when you reach your State Pension age.
The exact date depends on your date of birth, so use the GOV.UK State Pension age checker rather than assuming it will be 65, 66 or 67.
Does my State Pension start automatically?
Usually not.
You should normally receive information explaining how to claim as you approach State Pension age.
If you do not claim immediately, your State Pension can be deferred.
What is the triple lock?
The triple lock is the mechanism normally used to increase the basic and new State Pension each year.
Under the current approach, the increase is based on the highest of average earnings growth, CPI inflation or 2.5%.
Is the State Pension taxable?
Yes.
State Pension counts as taxable income.
Whether you actually pay Income Tax depends on your total taxable income, including other pensions, earnings and taxable income. Use the Retirement Income Calculator to explore the mix.
Can I retire before State Pension age?
Yes.
Retirement age and State Pension age are not the same thing.
If you stop work before your State Pension begins, you need another way to fund your spending during the gap. The Can I Retire Calculator helps you test that picture.
Can I defer my State Pension?
Yes.
You can choose not to claim immediately when you reach State Pension age.
Under current new State Pension rules, delaying can increase your eventual weekly payment. Whether that works well for you depends on your circumstances. Check the GOV.UK deferral guidance.
Is State Pension the same as Pension Credit?
No.
State Pension is mainly based on your National Insurance record.
Pension Credit is means-tested support for people over State Pension age with a low income.
Some people can receive both.
Where should I check my actual State Pension?
Use GOV.UK to check your personal State Pension forecast, State Pension age and National Insurance record.
The calculators on Retirement Calculators help you explore the wider planning questions around those official figures. They do not replace them.