There is no joint State Pension for couples: married partners and civil partners each get their own, based on their own National Insurance record.

That surprises many people, because older rules did let one partner's record lift the other's pension. Whether either set of rules applies to you turns on when each of you reached State Pension age. To see your two pensions side by side, couples can invite an FCA-authorised adviser to set them out together, free, by leaving a phone number with the form on this page.

Does each partner get their own State Pension?

Yes. The new State Pension applies to a man born on or after 6 April 1951 and a woman born on or after 6 April 1953, and each person is paid in their own right. GOV.UK says the new State Pension "is usually based on your own National Insurance record", although in some cases a person might inherit it or increase it through a spouse or civil partner.

For a couple, that works out like this:

  • Each of you needs at least 10 qualifying years on your own National Insurance record to get any new State Pension.
  • Each of you is paid what your own record earns, so two partners can receive quite different weekly sums.
  • Each of you can claim once you reach your own State Pension age; there is no need to wait for your partner.

One group has an extra route. GOV.UK says you might also qualify if you have "paid reduced rate National Insurance for married women". If that could describe you or your partner, the Pension Service can look at the record, and how women's pension records differ has more on women's records.

How much is the State Pension for a couple in 2026/27?

There is no couple rate, so the answer is two separate amounts, one per person. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) sets £241.30 a week as the full rate of new State Pension in 2026/27. Anyone whose State Pension age came before 6 April 2016 is on the basic State Pension, whose full rate is £184.90 a week in 2026/27.

The length of each record decides where a person lands:

  • If your National Insurance record started after April 2016, the full new rate takes 35 qualifying years.
  • Someone who was contracted out before 2016 will usually need more than 35.
  • Fewer years than that gives a smaller pension, not none, as long as there are at least 10.

So a couple who each have a full record are paid two full pensions, while a couple where one partner spent years at home with children, or abroad, may be paid one full pension and one smaller one. The reasons a forecast falls below the full rate are covered in how your State Pension is worked out, and how many years of National Insurance you need sets out what fewer years gives you. Gaps can sometimes be filled; see topping up with voluntary National Insurance.

Each partner can look up their own record and forecast; checking your State Pension forecast shows how. It is worth doing for both of you rather than assuming the figures match, because under the new State Pension each person's amount rests on their own record, so one partner's good news says nothing about the other's. Spotting a gap early leaves time to fill it, and finding and fixing missing years explains how.

Is there still a married couple's State Pension under the old rules?

Not as a joint payment, but the old rules did let a spouse's record help. These routes are for people whose own State Pension age fell earlier than 6 April 2016. GOV.UK describes two of them:

  • An increase: you might be able to get up to £110.75 a week through your spouse or civil partner if you are not getting a basic State Pension, or not getting the full £110.75.
  • Inheriting: you might be able to inherit some of a spouse or civil partner's State Pension when they die if you are not eligible for the basic State Pension, or yours is below £184.90 a week.

The increase has conditions. You can only get it if your own State Pension age was before 6 April 2016, and your spouse or civil partner either also reached it before that date and qualifies for the basic State Pension, or reached it on or after that date with at least one qualifying year from before 6 April 2016. The extra is based on their contributions, and you might qualify even if they have not claimed yet.

For couples reaching State Pension age now, the old routes have largely gone, and GOV.UK states that Adult Dependency Increase payments have stopped. If you are on the old rules and your pension looks low, the Pension Service can say whether you qualify. Two other guides go through the detail: claiming State Pension on your spouse's record and the qualified adult increase.

What happens to a State Pension when one partner dies is a separate question, answered in our guide to a State Pension after death and whether there is still a widow's pension.

What if one partner reaches State Pension age first?

Each pension starts from its owner's own State Pension age, and neither arrives automatically: GOV.UK says you will not get your new State Pension automatically and have to claim it. So where one partner is older, one pension can start well before the other. Your own date depends on your date of birth, which the State Pension age guide explains.

The gap matters in a few places:

  • Older increases: a married woman who reached State Pension age before her spouse, and whose spouse claimed before 17 March 2008, needs to contact the Pension Service to get the increase, according to GOV.UK.
  • Deferring: a partner who has reached State Pension age can put off claiming; see whether deferring is worth it.
  • Pension Credit: the section below explains why the younger partner's age matters.
  • Tax: if one of you has little taxable income while the other pays basic rate tax, Marriage Allowance may help, as the next section explains.

Planning a joint budget around two pensions that start at different times is easier with someone who can see every pot, and couples who want an FCA-authorised adviser for that, free, can say so on the form on this page.

Can a couple save tax with Marriage Allowance?

Possibly, if one of you has little or no taxable income. HMRC's guidance says Marriage Allowance lets you transfer £1,260 of your Personal Allowance to your husband, wife or civil partner, which cuts their tax by up to £252 in the tax year.

The conditions are strict:

  • You are married or in a civil partnership; living together without marrying does not qualify.
  • You do not pay Income Tax, or your income is below your Personal Allowance, which is usually £12,570.
  • Your partner pays Income Tax at the basic rate, which usually means their income is between £12,571 and £50,270. In Scotland, they must pay the starter, basic or intermediate rate, usually meaning an income between £12,571 and £43,662.

It will not affect your application if you or your partner are currently receiving a pension. If either of you was born before 6 April 1935, Married Couple's Allowance might suit better, as the two cannot be claimed together. A claim can be backdated to 6 April 2022 for years you were eligible. Whether your own State Pension is taxed is explained in whether the State Pension is taxable.

How does Pension Credit work for a couple?

Pension Credit treats a couple as one unit. In 2026/27 it tops up your joint weekly income to £363.25 if you have a partner, against £238 for a single person, and your income is calculated together. You are eligible if you have both reached State Pension age, or if one of you gets Housing Benefit for people over State Pension age, so a younger partner can change the answer; who gets Pension Credit has the full conditions.

Common worries when you are a couple

Do married couples both get the full State Pension?

Only if both have a full record of their own. For the full new State Pension, GOV.UK asks for 35 qualifying years where the record began after April 2016, and usually more for anyone contracted out before 2016, so a partner with fewer years is paid less.

Can I claim my husband's or wife's State Pension?

Under the new State Pension, no: it rests on your own record. If your State Pension age fell before 6 April 2016, you might be able to raise a low basic State Pension through your spouse's record, as described above.

Why is my husband's State Pension more than mine?

Usually because the two records differ. A qualifying year can come from work, from National Insurance credits such as those for a parent or carer, or from voluntary contributions, and being contracted out before 2016 can change how many years are needed. Your own forecast shows yours, and why some people get more State Pension than others explains the common reasons.

Do couples who live together but are not married get anything extra?

Not under the spouse-based State Pension rules or Marriage Allowance, which both name a husband, wife or civil partner. Pension Credit is different: GOV.UK counts someone you live with as a couple, without being married or in a civil partnership, as your partner when it works out your claim.

Does a recent divorce end the spouse-based increase?

Not necessarily, if your State Pension age fell before 6 April 2016. According to GOV.UK, you might still qualify for the increase when the divorce or dissolution of your civil partnership happened within the last 12 months, and you then need to contact the Pension Service.

Does deferring affect Pension Credit for a couple?

It can. You cannot build up extra amounts for deferring if you or your partner are getting Pension Credit, which is worth knowing before either of you decides to wait. The trade-offs are in the deferral guide.

Looking at both pensions together

The free routes come first: each of you can run the Check your State Pension service, the Pension Service answers questions on old-rules increases, and MoneyHelper offers general guidance. An adviser can also look at both State Pensions, any workplace pots and your savings together. With both forecasts in hand, couples can line up a joint chat with an FCA-authorised adviser that neither partner pays for, beginning at the form on this page. For the wider picture, start from the UK State Pension guide.