How can I find out how much my State Pension is likely to be?
28 June 2017
Question by Abigail
How can I find out how much my State Pension is likely to be?
Answered by Holly Mackay
From the start of this tax year, the state pension has been a – relatively generous – £155.65 per week. And that’s inflation-adjusted, so it should keep pace with price rises.
However, it comes with a few caveats: First you have to have made sufficient contributions. That means you have to have been working and paying tax, or someone has to have made contributions for you, for 35 years to qualify for the whole amount.
Equally, the government keeps monkeying about with the age. Gone are the giddy days when ladies could retire at 60. The age at which you qualify for the state pension is currently 63 and rising. By the time your average 40-something gets there, it could be 67 or higher.
It is fairly straightforward to check both the age at which you retire and how much you will probably get. The big thing to be aware of is that – if you haven’t got 35 years of National Insurance contributions under your belt by the time you collect your golden carriage clock from work, then you won’t get the full amount. Less than 10 years and you’ll get nowt.
As a rough rule of thumb, multiply your working years by £4.44 and this will be your weekly State Pension. Worked for 10 years and got 10 years of NI contributions? That will net you the princely sum of about £44 a week.
