The UK State Pension is a government-provided retirement benefit designed to give individuals a basic income in later life. It’s funded through National Insurance (NI) contributions made during your working years.
Eligibility
To qualify, you need at least 10 years of NI contributions, which can include periods of employment or certain benefits (such as maternity or unemployment benefits). To receive the full State Pension, you typically need 35 qualifying years of contributions.
State Pension amount
The amount you receive depends on your NI record. As of the 2025/2026 tax year, the full State Pension is £230.25 per week, but this can vary if you have gaps in your contributions.
If you reached State Pension age before April 2016, you might receive the basic State Pension, which works differently.
Payments are made every four weeks in arrears, and the exact payment day depends on the last two digits of your National Insurance number:
- 00–19 → Paid on Mondays
- 20–39 → Paid on Tuesdays
- 40–59 → Paid on Wednesdays
- 60–79 → Paid on Thursdays
- 80–99 → Paid on Fridays
State Pension age
The age at which you can claim your State Pension depends on your date of birth. Currently, most people can claim at 66, but this will gradually increase to 67 and beyond in the future.
How to claim
The State Pension isn’t automatic—you need to apply for it. You’ll usually receive a letter from the government when you approach State Pension age, prompting you to claim. You can apply:
- Online via the Gov.UK website
- Over the phone
- By post
If you’ve lived or worked abroad, you might need to provide additional details about foreign pension schemes.
Important considerations
The State Pension alone may not be enough to cover all retirement expenses. Many people also save into workplace or private pensions to supplement their income.
Check your State Pension forecast
You can check your State Pension forecast online to see how much you’re likely to receive and whether you need to fill any gaps in your NI record.
How to check your forecast:
- Visit the Gov.UK website and go to the State Pension forecast section.
- Sign in or register using your Government Gateway account (creating an account is free).
- Follow the prompts to view your pension details.
Filling NI gaps
If you have gaps in your National Insurance contributions, you can usually top them up with voluntary NI payments (Class 3 contributions).
- The cost of each missing year is around £923 for the 2025/26 tax year.
- Topping up missing years may not be right for everyone, so it’s worth checking if it benefits you.
Deferring your State Pension
You can choose to defer your State Pension to increase the amount you receive when you eventually claim it.
How deferral works:
- If you don’t claim your State Pension when you reach pension age, it’s automatically deferred.
- Your payments increase by 1% for every 9 weeks you defer—equal to 5.8% per year.
- If you defer for one year, based on the full 2025/26 State Pension, you’ll receive an extra £694 per year when you do claim.
- However, delaying means you miss out on regular payments in the meantime—so it’s worth considering whether deferral is right for you.
