The UK State Pension explained

The State Pension in the UK is a regular payment you can claim from the government once you reach State Pension age. Entitlement to the State Pension depends on how much National Insurance you’ve paid during your working life.

On this page, you’ll learn more about the State Pension, including who qualifies for the different types of State Pension and how they can claim. We’ll also look at what the triple lock means for payment amounts.

The information provided here is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Please consult with a licensed financial adviser or professional before making any financial decisions. Your financial situation is unique, and the information provided may not be suitable for your specific circumstances. We are not liable for any financial decisions or actions you take based on this information.

The State Pension is a payment from the UK government that you may be entitled to once you reach State Pension age. The amount you’ll receive depends on how many qualifying years you have on your National Insurance (NI) record. You usually make National Insurance contributions when you’re working, and you may have contributions credited to you if you were not working.

Once you reach State Pension age in the UK, you will typically receive a payment every four weeks into your bank account. You need to apply to receive the State Pension. Not everyone gets the same amount, since it depends on each person’s National Insurance record and when they were born.

The pensioner’s birth date determines which State Pension they qualify for. Many people entering retirement today receive the new State Pension, which applies to men born on or after 6 April 1951 and women born on or after 6 April 1953.

If you reached State Pension age on or after 6 April 2016, you may qualify for the new State Pension. The amount received depends on how many qualifying years you have for National Insurance:

• 35 years: Full new State Pension

• Between 10 and 34 years: A proportionate amount

• Fewer than 10 years: Typically means no entitlement to State Pension 

If your qualifying years are between 10 and 34, the government firstly calculates a starting amount. This is based on the higher of:

• what you would have received under the old system, or 

• what you’d have received if the new State Pension had applied from the start of your working life.

If your starting amount is less than the full new State Pension, each additional qualifying year after 5 April 2016 adds roughly £6.57 per week until you reach either the full amount or State Pension age – whichever comes first.

The basic State Pension is for those who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016. To receive the full amount, you typically need a total of 30 qualifying years of National Insurance contributions or credits. If you have fewer than this, your pension will reduce proportionally.

Anyone who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2010 will require more qualifying years. This was because of the Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) scheme, which could cut up to 22 years off the total for people who took time out of work to care for children or other dependents.

If you reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016 and have started claiming your basic State Pension, you may be entitled to an additional State Pension if you contributed to one of these schemes:

• Graduated Retirement Benefit: if you paid graduated NI contributions (1961 - 1975)

• SERPS (State Earnings-Related Pension Scheme): if you were employed and paid NI (1978 - 2002)

• S2P (State Second Pension): if you were employed or claimed certain benefits (2002 - 2016)

A separate one-off top-up scheme, called Class 3A, ran between 2015 - 2017 and is now closed.

Your State Pension age varies depending on your date of birth. You cannot claim it before the age of eligibility. State Pension eligibility also depends on your years of contributions to National Insurance.

The current UK State Pension age is 66 for both men and women, although this is set to rise in the coming years. Between 2026 and 2028, for example, the age is increasing from 66 to 67. You can check your State Pension age here.

Because the exact amount varies for each person, you can check how much State Pension you might receive on the Gov UK website.

The full rates for 2025/26 are:

• New State Pension: Full weekly amount: £230.25
• Basic State Pension: Full weekly amount: £176.45
• Additional State Pension: Varies based on number of National Insurance years, earnings, and other factors 

Not everyone gets the full amount. Figures from the Department for Work and Pensions reveal that the average amount for the new State Pension was £207.90 in February 2025. The average for those on the older system, however, was £199.69 per week.

You don’t have to start receiving payments as soon as you reach pension age. If you delay, or defer, it, the amount you receive can increase. With the new State Pension, it rises by about 1% for every nine weeks you defer. For the basic State Pension, you can choose either higher weekly payments or a one-off lump sum. Weekly payments go up by around 1% every five weeks you defer, while the lump sum is available if you defer for 12 months or more.

Before introducing the UK’s new state pension, you were allowed to contract out of the scheme, cutting your state pension by paying less National Insurance.

If you contracted out of the scheme and have been making reduced National Insurance contributions, you may not receive the full amount of the state pension you technically qualify for.

This depends on whether you are claiming the old or new State Pension. You must have a minimum number of years to receive any pension, and a full record of qualifying years for the maximum weekly amount. You can also top up missing years with voluntary National Insurance contributions.

Some older pensioners may have different qualifying years for a full pension. Men born before 1945 and women born before 1950 needed 44 and 39 years, respectively.

Even if you satisfy all of the State Pension entitlement criteria, you won’t automatically start receiving payments when you reach pension age. In most cases, you’ll get a letter from the Pension Service between two and four months before you reach your State Pension age.

This letter will include instructions on how to claim your pension. It will usually set out three methods for claiming:

1. Claim your State Pension online

2. Claim over the phone by calling the pension claim line on 0800 731 7898

3. Phone the claim line to request a State Pension claim form, complete it and return it by post

You’ll need to provide your National Insurance number, and you may need to provide evidence of your date of birth.

If you haven’t received a letter or are unable to do so, you can still make a claim by calling the Pension Service on 0800 731 7898.

The UK State Pension triple lock is a government guarantee that the State Pension will rise each year in line with the highest of the following measures:

• average increase in total wages across the UK as measured between May and July the year before the rise comes in

• the Consumer Price Index measure of inflation in the September of the previous year

• or 2.5%

If you want another income stream alongside your State Pension, there are other ways of saving for retirement. Options include:

• Personal or workplace pensions, as you may benefit from tax relief on contributions. Your employer might also add extra contributions, helping your retirement pot grow faster.

• Individual savings accounts (ISAs), which help you save up to £20,000 per year tax-free (in the 2025/26 tax year, within the annual ISA allowance).

• Some retirees choose savings accounts with competitive interest rates to grow their money. Fixed rate bonds, which lock your money away for a set period (typically between six months and five years),  can offer higher rates of interest than accounts with easy access.

If you want to open a savings account in just a few steps, register for a free Raisin UK Account and apply today. It’s free to open savings accounts with competitive interest rates from a range of partner banks through our marketplace. Plus, deposits are protected up to £120,000 per eligible person, per bank under the UK’s Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) (deposit insurance in the UK).