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.
The two systems pay different full rates and ask for different numbers of National Insurance qualifying years, and your forecast can sit above or below either rate for reasons that are in your own record. Anyone unsure how their State Pension lines up with other income can leave their details in the enquiry form here and request a call-back, which costs nothing, from an FCA-authorised adviser.
New State Pension vs old: which one do I get?
It depends on when you reach State Pension age, which in practice means your date of birth. The government's guide to the change says the State Pension changed on 6 April 2016 "for people who reach State Pension age from then onwards" (DWP, Your new State Pension explained). The dividing lines are:
- New State Pension: a man born on or after 6 April 1951, or a woman born on or after 6 April 1953.
- Basic State Pension: a man born before 6 April 1951, or a woman born before 6 April 1953, who has enough qualifying years.
GOV.UK confirms both halves: the new rules do not apply to anyone born before those dates, and all those entitled to the basic State Pension are already over State Pension age. So anyone who has not yet reached State Pension age is on the new system, and you cannot choose between the two. Find your own date in the State Pension age guide; women born before April 1953 are covered in whether the State Pension differs for men and women.
When people say "old State Pension" they usually mean more than the basic State Pension. Under the old rules the State Pension had two parts: the basic State Pension and the Additional State Pension, which is sometimes called State Second Pension or SERPS. The Additional part is why two people on the basic system can be paid quite different amounts; see the Additional State Pension. The new State Pension is a single payment, and it is usually based on your own National Insurance record only.
How much are the old and new State Pension in 2026/27?
These are the weekly rates in the Department for Work and Pensions' Benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027, with the previous year beside them:
| Weekly rate | 2025/26 | 2026/27 |
|---|---|---|
| New State Pension, full rate | £230.25 | £241.30 |
| Basic State Pension, Category A or B | £176.45 | £184.90 |
| Basic State Pension, Category B (lower): spouse or civil partner's insurance | £105.70 | £110.75 |
GOV.UK gives the same two headline figures in its own guides: "The full rate of new State Pension is £241.30 a week" and "The full basic State Pension is £184.90 per week." Both are full rates, and the second leaves out anything extra: the basic figure excludes Additional State Pension and any increase from deferring, so it is not directly comparable with the new rate. The lower Category B rate is the basic pension some people receive on a spouse's or civil partner's record; claiming on a spouse's record has the conditions.
Why is the new rate higher? DWP says the full new amount is set above the level of means-tested support, the Pension Credit standard minimum guarantee. Both systems rise each year by whichever of earnings growth, price inflation (CPI) or 2.5% is highest, according to GOV.UK, with one exception covered below; how that works is in the triple lock guide and how much the State Pension rises each April. Your own amount is on your forecast, and checking your State Pension forecast explains how to get it.
How many qualifying years do the basic and new State Pension need?
A qualifying year is one in which you worked and paid National Insurance, got National Insurance credits or paid voluntary contributions. How many you need depends on the system. For credits and gaps, see National Insurance credits and finding and fixing missing years.
New State Pension
Any new State Pension at all needs at least 10 qualifying years on your record, according to GOV.UK. DWP adds that these years can come from before or after 6 April 2016 and need not be consecutive. For the full rate, the number is 35 where a National Insurance record began after April 2016; anyone who was contracted out will usually need more than that. Anyone getting less than £241.30 a week might need more qualifying years to increase it.
Basic State Pension
The full basic State Pension needs a different number of years depending on your birth date. According to GOV.UK, a man usually needs 30 qualifying years if born between 1945 and 1951 and 44 if born before 1945; a woman usually needs 30 if born between 1950 and 1953 and 39 if born before 1950. With fewer than the full number, "your basic State Pension will be less than £184.90 per week."
The minimum for any basic State Pension also turns on birth date. GOV.UK says a man usually needs 1 qualifying year if born between 1945 and 1951, or 11 if born before 1945, and a woman usually needs 1 if born between 1950 and 1953, or 10 if born before 1950. It adds that someone with fewer years might still be eligible and should check with the Pension Service (or the International Pension Centre from abroad). What a given number of years is worth in pounds is covered in the guide to National Insurance years, and how your State Pension amount is worked out covers the rest.
Why is my State Pension forecast higher or lower than the full rate?
If you had National Insurance years before April 2016, the new State Pension does not start from zero. DWP works out a "starting amount" from your record as at 5 April 2016, and it is the higher of two figures:
- the amount you would have got under the previous State Pension system up to 6 April 2016; or
- the amount you would get on your record to 6 April 2016 if the new State Pension had been in place at the start of your working life.
DWP says your starting amount "could be less than, more than or equal to the full new State Pension", and that the new rules make sure the amount for your contributions to 6 April 2016 is no less than you would have had under the old rules, provided you meet the 10-year minimum. Your forecast shows the result.
Starting amount below the full rate. Each qualifying year you add after 5 April 2016 raises it by a set amount until you reach the full rate or State Pension age, whichever comes first. DWP's guide, updated in April 2026, still illustrates this with the 2025/26 full rate: "about £6.89 a week, this is £230.25 divided by 35". The full rate is £241.30 a week in 2026/27; your own forecast shows where you stand.
Starting amount above the full rate. You get the higher amount when you reach State Pension age. DWP explains that this can happen if you have some Additional State Pension, which is how a forecast ends up above £241.30, and it calls the difference between your starting amount and the full new State Pension your "protected payment". On GOV.UK's description, that goes to someone who contributed to the Additional State Pension before 2016 and would have been better off under the old rules; it comes on top of the full rate and is uprated each year in line with the CPI, not by the triple-lock test. The protected payment guide covers it in full.
A starting amount is one strand of retirement income. How it weighs against a workplace pension and your tax position can be put to the FCA-authorised adviser at the other end of the line, and a phone appointment is yours for the asking via the enquiry form here.
How does contracting out affect the new State Pension compared with the old?
Contracting out was part of the old rules for the Additional State Pension. According to DWP, people in defined benefit schemes (normally final salary or salary-related) probably were contracted out, and so probably were members of any workplace scheme before April 2012 and of some stakeholder and personal pensions.
If you were contracted out at any time before 6 April 2016, DWP made a deduction when working out your starting amount. It was applied to both possible starting amounts, the old-rules one and the new-rules one. The reason, depending on the type of scheme, is that you paid National Insurance at a lower rate, or some of your contributions went to a stakeholder or personal pension instead of the Additional State Pension. That is why a contracted-out record usually takes more than 35 qualifying years to reach the full rate, although years in which you were contracted out still count as qualifying years rather than gaps in your record.
The contracting-out rules ended on 6 April 2016. The deduction itself is explained in what contracting out meant for your State Pension, and pre-97 additional State Pension covers the older years.
What else is different between the basic and new State Pension?
Four differences come up most often. Each has its own guide, so this is a signpost rather than a full answer.
- Deferring. The basic State Pension increases by 1% for every 5 weeks you defer; the new State Pension needs at least 9 weeks and pays just under 5.8% for every year you defer. The one-off payment options also differ, because GOV.UK says what you get from deferring depends on when you reach State Pension age; the State Pension lump sum guide explains.
- Partners. The new State Pension is based on your own record. Some people receive a basic State Pension, at the lower Category B rate shown above, on a spouse or civil partner's record.
- Inheritance. A widow, widower or surviving civil partner on the new State Pension may be able to inherit an extra payment, according to GOV.UK, and different rules apply to those who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016; inheriting additional State Pension sets out who qualifies.
- Tax. How either pension is taxed is in whether the State Pension is taxable.
For the rest of the picture, from claiming to Pension Credit, start with the UK State Pension guide.
Questions about the old and new State Pension
Is the new State Pension better than the old one?
It has a higher full rate, £241.30 a week against £184.90 in 2026/27, but the two are not alternatives you can pick between, and the old system could add Additional State Pension on top. What you get depends on your own record and your starting amount.
Does the new State Pension include SERPS?
Not as a separate payment. SERPS and State Second Pension were part of the Additional State Pension under the old rules; for the new system, DWP counts what you built up to April 2016 within your starting amount, and any excess over the full rate is the protected payment. See the Additional State Pension.
What is the maximum old State Pension?
The full basic State Pension is £184.90 a week in 2026/27. You might get more if you are eligible for Additional State Pension or deferred taking your State Pension, so the total paid to one person can be higher.
Is the old State Pension triple locked?
The basic State Pension rises each year by whichever is highest of earnings growth, CPI inflation or 2.5%, the same test as the new State Pension, so in that sense yes. A protected payment rises with the CPI instead.
Why is my State Pension not the maximum?
Having fewer qualifying years than the full rate needs is one reason; GOV.UK says your amount could also differ if you were contracted out, or paid into the Additional State Pension, before 2016. Your forecast shows your record, and gaps may be fixable; see topping up with voluntary National Insurance.
Can I get more than the full new State Pension?
Some people do. If you contributed to the Additional State Pension before 2016 and the old rules would have paid you more, the excess comes as a protected payment on top of the full rate; deferring your claim can also add to it.
Checking your own position
The free starting point is the government's Check your State Pension service, which gives a forecast and lets you view your National Insurance record. GOV.UK notes that Pension Wise does not cover the State Pension and sends State Pension questions to the Pension Service instead. Working out how the State Pension, other pensions and savings combine for you can be raised with the FCA-authorised adviser who calls, and the call-back request form on this page costs nothing to send.