State Pension advice in the UK is free from DWP and Age UK; a regulated adviser matters when private pensions are involved too.
Most State Pension questions are answered by the people who run it, at no cost, and a paid adviser only comes into the picture when the State Pension has to be weighed against other money. If your question is how the pension works, read what the State Pension is first. Once private pots and savings sit alongside the State Pension, bring in an FCA-authorised adviser; filling in this page's enquiry form costs nothing and gets you a phone call.
Who can you ask about the State Pension, and for what?
The right helpline depends on the question, and calling the wrong one costs time. Here is how the questions usually divide up.
| Your question | Where to take it |
|---|---|
| How much will I get, and when? | The online forecast service, or the Future Pension Centre helpline |
| How do I claim? | The Pension Service, once you are close to State Pension age |
| Would paying voluntary National Insurance help? | The Future Pension Centre if you are below State Pension age; the Pension Service if you are past it |
| Is my National Insurance record wrong? | HMRC |
| I already get it, or have deferred it | The Pension Service (the International Pension Centre if you live overseas) |
The online Check your State Pension forecast service on GOV.UK estimates the amount, the date and any scope to increase it, and is the quickest route. It is closed to anyone who already gets the State Pension or has deferred it. If you would rather not use the internet and State Pension age is more than 30 days away, the Future Pension Centre can post a forecast to you. What the figures mean is covered in checking your pension forecasts.
The Pension Service handles claims. You will not get the new State Pension automatically, and the claim line opens up once you are within four months of State Pension age. It is also the contact for a State Pension already in payment, and for voluntary contributions after State Pension age. Before that, the Future Pension Centre is the one to ring. Mistakes in your National Insurance record go to HMRC.
Can Age UK or Citizens Advice help with the State Pension?
Age UK has a State Pension advice page and a free Advice Line on 0800 678 1602, open 8am to 7pm, 365 days a year, with specialist advisers at over 100 local Age UKs. Its guide is useful for working out which of the two State Pensions applies to you and for thinking through a deferral, because it points out that deferring can affect benefits you get now.
Citizens Advice is a general free advice service, with local offices across England and Wales and an online chat. Its Adviceline for England, 0800 144 8848, is usually open 9am to 5pm on weekdays and puts you through to a local Citizens Advice; Wales has a separate Advicelink line. Most local offices help only people who live or work in their area, so start by saying that your question is about the State Pension. If the real problem is Pension Credit rather than the State Pension, the Pension Credit advice page covers it.
Does Pension Wise cover the State Pension?
No. GOV.UK says Pension Wise does not cover the State Pension, nor final salary or career average pensions. It is for people aged 50 or over, and some younger people, with a UK-based defined contribution pot who want to know how and when to take the money. It is a good free service for that job, and what Pension Wise is explains it, but it will not help with a forecast or a claim.
MoneyHelper, which runs Pension Wise, can still help if you are not eligible: it offers free pensions guidance by phone, webchat or email, plus guides and tools. GOV.UK describes MoneyHelper as free and impartial information, not financial advice. The free routes together are laid out in free pension help.
When do you need a regulated adviser for State Pension decisions?
Rarely for the State Pension on its own, because DWP's services cover forecasts and claims. A regulated adviser becomes useful when a State Pension choice interacts with other money. The forecast service draws the line itself: it sends anyone wanting advice on increasing a workplace or private pension to a financial adviser. Two choices tend to raise the question.
- Voluntary National Insurance. Filling gaps can raise your State Pension, but the gov.uk guide cautions that it does not always do so, for instance where you were contracted out. DWP can tell you whether you would benefit; whether the cost beats other uses of the same money is a wider question. See topping up your State Pension.
- Deferral. A State Pension left unclaimed defers automatically, and you cannot build up deferred State Pension while you or your partner get certain benefits. Whether to live on a private pension in the meantime is a question about your whole income. See whether to defer.
Advice of this kind is usually paid for, as GOV.UK notes about financial advisers generally, and what advisers charge sets out the usual structures. Finding a regulated pension adviser covers the checks.
Phone numbers, appointees and other practical queries
Which number do I ring for the State Pension?
There are two. The Future Pension Centre is on 0800 731 0175 and the Pension Service on 0800 731 0469, both open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm; the Pension Service is closed on public holidays.
Can I get State Pension information once I am already receiving it?
Ring the Pension Service, since the online forecast is not open to you. If you live overseas, the International Pension Centre is the contact, and Northern Ireland has its own Pension Centre.
Can someone else ask about my State Pension for me?
The Pension Service has an alternative enquiry service for information about someone else's State Pension. It also deals with becoming an appointee for someone who is claiming.
Does MoneyHelper give State Pension advice?
MoneyHelper gives free guidance, not advice, and the gov.uk pointer for State Pension help is the Pension Service. Pension Wise, its defined contribution service, does not cover the State Pension.
Do I have to pay anyone to claim my State Pension?
No. GOV.UK sets out how to claim it yourself: online with the invitation code from the letter about getting your State Pension, by phone to the Pension Service once you are within four months of State Pension age, or by post on a claim form the Pension Service sends you.
What if someone cold-calls you about your pension?
The FCA's pension scam warnings are about offers to move money out of a pension pot or release cash from it, and its first rule is to hang up on any call about your pension that comes out of the blue. Offers by email or text should simply be ignored. Its warning extends to unsolicited offers to look over your pension for nothing, which are likely scams, and to callers who say they represent the FCA or MoneyHelper. Choose an adviser the FCA has authorised, and never one who found you. How pension scams work goes through the tactics, and reporting a pension scam says where to take one.
Choosing where to start
Begin with the forecast, or the Future Pension Centre, and read what comes back. Ring Age UK if you want a person to talk it over with. Pay for advice only when the State Pension has to be weighed against private pensions or savings. Would you like it explained alongside your pots? Make the call-back request through this page's form; when the FCA-authorised adviser rings, raise the State Pension, savings and other pensions together.