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The State Pension is the foundation of most people's retirement income. These guides explain who qualifies, how the amount is worked out, when it starts and how National Insurance gaps and Pension Credit fit in.
Talk to an adviser before you choose →New State Pension vs old: you get the new one if you reach State Pension age on or after 6 April 2016, the basic State Pension if you reached it before.
Yes, you can usually stop a State Pension you have started to claim, once, and build up extra pension while it is stopped.
Can you claim State Pension and Carer's Allowance together? Not in full: your pension counts first, and Carer's Allowance only makes up any shortfall.
A widow's pension can follow you abroad: State Pension is paid worldwide, but yearly rises and new Bereavement Support Payment claims vary by country.
A contracted-out State Pension record means you paid less National Insurance, or had some paid into another pension, instead of building SERPS or S2P.
PIP is not counted as income for Pension Credit, and its daily living part can open the door to an extra £86.05 a week in 2026/27.
Does the State Pension increase at 80? Only by 25p a week on some pensions, though the Over 80 pension can lift a very small pension to £110.75 a week.
Does the additional State Pension increase each year? Yes, by CPI inflation: 3.8% in April 2026, against 4.8% for the basic State Pension.
How Pension Credit is paid depends on when you reached State Pension age: weekly in advance, or normally in arrears every one, two or four weeks.
How much Pension Credit you can get is the gap between your weekly income and £238 (single) or £363.25 (couple) in 2026/27, plus extra amounts.
The State Pension rate for 2026/27 is £241.30 a week for the full new State Pension; what you get depends on your National Insurance record.
State Pension: how much can you earn? From State Pension age you can claim it and still work; pay and savings then count for income tax and Pension Credit.
Class 3 National Insurance costs £18.40 a week in 2026/27, but a gap in either of the previous two tax years is charged at its original rate.
State Pension benefits in the UK: it is a taxable benefit, paid whatever your savings, but means-tested benefits count it as income.
To apply for Pension Credit, use GOV.UK online, ring 0800 99 1234 or post a form, with your National Insurance number and bank details to hand.
When to claim State Pension in the UK: in the last few months before State Pension age, online, by phone or by post. It never starts by itself.
National Insurance credits fill gaps in your State Pension record when you are not paying in, for example while ill, caring or registered for Child Benefit.
Yes: you normally get an NHS, teachers’ or civil service pension and the State Pension, because they are separate pensions that are paid on top of each other.
Should you defer your State Pension? Waiting raises your pension for life, but you go without payments meanwhile, and tax and benefits can be affected.
There is no joint State Pension for couples: married partners and civil partners each get their own, based on their own National Insurance record.
Self-employed people do get the State Pension. Since 6 April 2024, Class 2 is treated as paid once your profits reach the Small Profits Threshold.
If your State Pension payment is late, check your usual payment day and any bank holiday first, then ring the Pension Service on 0800 731 0469.
Is the State Pension Christmas Bonus taxable? No: it is a tax-free £10 paid before Christmas to people getting the State Pension or certain benefits.
A State Pension top up means paying voluntary National Insurance to fill gaps in your record, so that more years count towards your State Pension.
State Pension by country: the UK's mandatory pensions replace 54.2% of a median earner's take-home pay, below the OECD average of 63.2%.
Will Pension Credit affect Housing Benefit? It usually helps: the Guarantee Credit part opens the way to maximum help with rent and Council Tax.
What happens to your State Pension when you die: the payments end, DWP has to be told, and a husband, wife or civil partner may inherit part of it.
There is no single Pension Credit income limit: it tops income up to £238 a week (single) or £363.25 (couple) in 2026/27, and extra amounts raise that.
What is the pension triple lock? It is the government's promise to raise the State Pension each April by whichever of earnings growth, CPI inflation or 2.5…
The UK State Pension is a regular payment from the government that most people can claim at State Pension age, built from their National Insurance record.
The additional State Pension is the earnings-linked extra in the old State Pension, built up under SERPS and then the State Second Pension before April 2016.
Your first State Pension payment arrives no later than 5 weeks after the start date you chose, then every 4 weeks. Private pensions work to each provider's…
Pension Credit goes to people over State Pension age in England, Scotland or Wales whose weekly income is below £238 (single) or £363.25 (couple) in 2026/2…
Pension Credit usually stops or drops because income, savings, a partner, time abroad or a hospital stay changed. You can challenge the decision.
Will the State Pension be scrapped in the UK? It is set in law, and the reform DWP has announced for April 2030 still raises it every year.
Three short questions, no financial details to start. One FCA-authorised adviser firm can talk through your pension or equity release questions and explain your options, and how it is paid. Free to enquire, no obligation.