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.
Not everyone gets the same amount, and it does not arrive on its own: you claim it. This guide covers the two systems (new and basic), how National Insurance builds your entitlement, what it pays in 2026/27, when you can take it, tax and Pension Credit, with each detail linked to its own guide.
You do not need an adviser to get your State Pension: the forecast, your National Insurance record and the claim are all free from the government. Where a second opinion can help is how that income fits with workplace or personal pensions, savings and tax. An FCA-authorised adviser can weigh that up with you, and asking is free: the form on this page reaches one.
What the State Pension is
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) puts it simply: "The State Pension is a regular payment from the government most people can claim when they reach State Pension age. Not everyone gets the same amount. How much you get depends on your National Insurance record." (DWP, Your State Pension explained, updated 6 April 2026.)
Three things follow from that:
- It is earned through National Insurance, not savings. There is no pot with your name on it: each year you paid or were credited with enough National Insurance is a "qualifying year", and the number of them sets your amount.
- It is not means tested. Your entitlement depends on your record, not on your other income or savings. Pension Credit, which is means tested, is a separate benefit; GOV.UK says plainly that "Pension Credit is separate from your State Pension."
- It has to be claimed. GOV.UK: "You will not get your new State Pension automatically - you have to claim it."
It is meant to be a foundation rather than the whole of anyone's retirement income. DWP's guide says: "For many people, the State Pension is only part of their retirement income. For example, they may also have money from a workplace pension, other pension and/or earnings." A workplace or personal pension is money paid in and invested or promised under a scheme's rules; the State Pension is a government benefit paid under the law of the day. For the wider picture, see how the UK pension system works.
GOV.UK notes that claiming works differently in Northern Ireland and from abroad. If you live outside the UK, see the UK State Pension abroad.
The new State Pension and the basic State Pension: which one applies to you
There are two State Pension systems, and which one you are under depends only on your date of birth. The new State Pension began on 6 April 2016. DWP says it applies to people reaching State Pension age from then onwards: men born on or after 6 April 1951 and women born on or after 6 April 1953. Everyone born earlier stays under the old rules: the basic State Pension, often with an Additional State Pension (SERPS or the State Second Pension) on top. The legal basis is the Pensions Act 2014, which says "This Part creates a benefit called state pension" (legislation.gov.uk).
Why change it? DWP says "The old rules (which include basic State Pension and Additional State Pension) were complicated, making it difficult to know how much you’d get until you were close to State Pension age." The aim was that "people will know from a much younger age how much they’re likely to get".
| New State Pension | Basic State Pension | |
|---|---|---|
| Who gets it | Men born on or after 6 April 1951; women born on or after 6 April 1953 | Men born before 6 April 1951; women born before 6 April 1953 |
| Full weekly rate, 2026/27 (DWP) | £241.30 | £184.90, plus any Additional State Pension |
| Qualifying years for the full amount | 35 for a record that started after April 2016; often more if you were contracted out | Usually 30 for men born 1945 to 1951 and women born 1950 to 1953; more for those born earlier |
Both rates are from DWP's benefit and pension rates 2026 to 2027. GOV.UK says "Everyone eligible for the basic State Pension has now reached State Pension age", so anyone planning ahead is under the new system. The full comparison is in new State Pension versus the old basic State Pension, and SERPS has its own guide, the Additional State Pension.
How your National Insurance record builds your State Pension
Under the new State Pension, two numbers matter. GOV.UK: "You’ll need 10 qualifying years on your National Insurance record to get any new State Pension." For the full amount, the Pensions Act 2014 requires "35 or more qualifying years" (section 2). In between, you get a proportion, and DWP adds that the years "don’t have to be 10 years in a row." What each number of years is worth is in how many years of National Insurance you need.
GOV.UK lists three ways to build a qualifying year: "working and made National Insurance contributions", "getting National Insurance credits for example if you were unemployed, ill or a parent or carer", or "paying voluntary National Insurance contributions". Credits fill years spent caring or out of work; DWP's examples include "receiving Child Benefit for a child under 12". See National Insurance credits and, for the self-employed, the State Pension if you are self-employed.
Why two people with the same number of years can get different amounts
If you had National Insurance years before April 2016, DWP worked out a "starting amount" for you at that date, and it "could be less than, more than or equal to the full new State Pension." A common reason it is lower is contracting out: DWP says members of "defined benefit" pension schemes "are likely to have been contracted out of the Additional State Pension", having paid "National Insurance contributions at a lower rate" or had some of their contributions go to a personal pension instead. GOV.UK says that if you were contracted out you will usually need more than 35 qualifying years to get the full rate of new State Pension. See contracting out and your State Pension.
Gaps, and filling them
A gap is a year that did not count, for example because you lived abroad, earned too little or were not working and not getting credits. DWP: "It is possible to have some gaps in your National Insurance record and still get the full new State Pension." Where a gap does matter, voluntary Class 3 contributions can usually fill it, at "£18.40 a week in 2026 to 2027", and GOV.UK says they can be paid for the past 6 years. HMRC warns that "Voluntary contributions do not always increase your State Pension, for example if you were contracted out", so your forecast is the place to check first. More in topping up with voluntary National Insurance and fixing missing years.
How much the State Pension pays in 2026/27, and how it rises
The full new State Pension is £241.30 a week in the 2026/27 tax year, according to DWP's benefit and pension rates (it was £230.25 in 2025/26). The full basic State Pension, for people under the old rules, is £184.90 a week in 2026/27 on the same DWP table.
Those are full rates, not what everyone gets. GOV.UK says your amount "could be different" depending on contracting out, "the number of National Insurance qualifying years you have" and whether "you paid into the Additional State Pension before 2016". Some people get more than the full rate: "If you paid into the Additional State Pension before 2016 and would have got more State Pension under the old rules, you’ll get a ‘protected payment’." See the protected payment. Your own figure is on your forecast; how it is worked out is in how much State Pension you will get.
Each year, GOV.UK says, the new State Pension goes up by whichever is the highest of growth in average earnings, CPI price inflation or 2.5%, and the basic State Pension rises on the same test. That is what is usually called the triple lock; a protected payment instead rises "in line with the CPI". See the triple lock explained and how much the State Pension will go up.
When you can get it, how to claim, and putting it off
You can claim from State Pension age, which is set by law and depends on your date of birth. It is currently moving from 66 to 67: the Pensions Act 2014 includes an "Increase in pensionable age to 67", phased in month by month for people born from 6 April 1960, starting at "6th April 1960 to 5th May 1960 66 years and 1 month" and ending at "6th February 1961 to 5th March 1961 66 years and 11 months" (section 26). Your own date is in the State Pension age; future changes are in will it change again?
State Pension age is not a retirement age. DWP: "For most people there is no longer a fixed retirement age (the age at which you stop working)." GOV.UK: "You can claim your new State Pension even if you carry on working", and you stop paying National Insurance; see National Insurance after State Pension age.
Claiming and being paid
GOV.UK says that "If you’re applying online, you’ll also need the invitation code from the letter about getting your State Pension"; if the letter has not arrived and "you are within 3 months of reaching your State Pension age, you can request an invitation code". Then, GOV.UK: "The new State Pension is usually paid into your account every 4 weeks", and "Your first payment will be no later than 5 weeks after the date you choose." The detail is in when your State Pension is paid.
Deferring
You do not have to claim straight away. DWP: "You don’t have to claim the new State Pension as soon as you reach State Pension age." If you wait at least nine weeks, it goes up by 1% for every 9 weeks you put off claiming, which DWP says works out at just under 5.8% for every full year. Whether that is worth it depends on health, other income and tax, and for Pension Credit a deferred State Pension still "is counted as income". The trade-offs are in deferring the State Pension and is deferring worth it?
Tax, Pension Credit and other benefits
Is the State Pension taxed?
It is taxable income, but tax is not taken off before it reaches you, and you pay tax only if your total income for the year is over your Personal Allowance, which GOV.UK says "is usually £12,570". Is the State Pension taxable? explains how the tax is collected. The rates depend on where in the UK you live, because Scotland sets its own income tax bands; GOV.UK's Income Tax rates page has them.
Because the State Pension can use up much or all of the Personal Allowance, money taken from a workplace or personal pension on top of it is more likely to be taxed.
Pension Credit
Pension Credit is a separate, means-tested top-up for people on a low income. DWP describes it as "an income-related benefit that tops up your weekly income to a guaranteed minimum amount if you have reached the Pension Credit qualifying age." In 2026/27, according to DWP's benefit and pension rates, the guarantee tops weekly income up to £238 for a single person and £363.25 for a couple; GOV.UK's Pension Credit guide covers England, Scotland and Wales. DWP notes that "The full amount of the new State Pension is set above the basic level of means-tested support", although GOV.UK adds that with a higher income "you might still be eligible for Pension Credit if you have a disability, you care for someone, you have savings or you have housing costs."
A second part, Savings Credit, is closed to the new system: GOV.UK says you could get it only if "you reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016", among other conditions. The difference between the two benefits is in Pension Credit and the State Pension compared, and who qualifies in who can get Pension Credit.
For Pension Credit, GOV.UK lists what counts: "Your income includes: State Pension other pensions earnings from employment and self-employment". So a larger State Pension can mean less Pension Credit, and a smaller one more; how the State Pension affects Housing Benefit and other help is set out in the State Pension and other benefits.
How the State Pension fits with workplace and personal pensions
"The State Pension is intended to be a part of your retirement income", DWP says. The rest usually comes from workplace or personal pensions, savings or work, and the two kinds of pension behave very differently:
- When. The State Pension starts no earlier than State Pension age. Many private and workplace pensions can be taken earlier; see when you can take a pension.
- How it is paid. The State Pension is a weekly rate paid for life and uprated each year. A defined contribution pot can be taken in several ways, from an annuity to drawdown to lump sums; the choices are set out in your defined contribution options at retirement. A final salary scheme pays its own income; see final salary pensions, and for public-sector schemes, getting an NHS, teachers' or civil service pension as well as the State Pension.
- Bridging the gap. Some people retire before State Pension age and draw on a private pension until it starts. Where a pension is invested, its value can fall as well as rise and you may get back less than was paid in.
Your forecast gives you a known base; the private pension decisions on top are the ones that are hard to undo. An FCA-authorised adviser can set your forecast beside your pots and tax bill; to arrange that, complete the form on this page. GOV.UK points out that you will usually have to pay for an adviser's services, so ask about cost at the outset; making the enquiry is free.
Where to get free help with the State Pension
For the State Pension itself, the free official routes are the ones to use:
- Check your State Pension on GOV.UK, which DWP says gives "personalised information, including your State Pension age, an estimate of how much State Pension you may get". See checking your forecast.
- The Pension Service (DWP), for claims, payments and questions about your award. GOV.UK: "For help with your State Pension contact the Pension Service."
- HMRC: GOV.UK says to "Contact HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) if you think your National Insurance record is wrong"; see how accurate your forecast is.
- MoneyHelper. GOV.UK says "you can get free and impartial information from MoneyHelper", adding "MoneyHelper do not provide financial advice."
Pension Wise, also from MoneyHelper, is often mentioned in the same breath, but GOV.UK says the State Pension is outside its scope, as are final salary and career average pensions. If you are over 50 and have a pension pot, it is worth knowing about; see what Pension Wise is.
State Pension questions people ask
Do I get a State Pension if I have never worked?
You can, because qualifying years also come from National Insurance credits (for example while caring or claiming Child Benefit for a young child) and from voluntary contributions. You still need 10 qualifying years for any new State Pension. If your State Pension is small or nil, Pension Credit may help; see who can get Pension Credit.
What happens to my State Pension if I stop paying National Insurance?
The years you have already built stay on your record; the record simply stops growing, and a year with no contributions or credits becomes a gap. Whether that changes your pension depends on whether you already have enough years for the full rate. Your forecast shows this, and voluntary contributions can fill some gaps.
What is Home Responsibilities Protection, and does it affect women's State Pension?
GOV.UK: "Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) was a scheme to help protect parents’ and carers’ State Pension. National Insurance credits replaced HRP in 2010." GOV.UK warns that "You may have missed out if your National Insurance number was not linked to your Child Benefit claim at the time. This could lead to underpayment of your State Pension." You can still apply if you think it is missing from your record; see claiming back an underpaid State Pension.
How much State Pension does a woman get in her mid-sixties?
The rules are the same for men and women: the amount depends on the National Insurance record, and the full new State Pension is £241.30 a week in 2026/27. A woman in her mid-sixties may not have reached State Pension age yet, because of the rise to 67. See the State Pension for women.
The State Pension is the one part of retirement income the government works out for you. How it fits with everything else is the part worth a conversation; leave your details on the form on this page to hear from an FCA-authorised adviser.