Your Complete Guide To The UK State Pension: Eligibility, How To Claim & More
The basics of the UK State Pension
The state pays you an income after you have retired - this is called your State Pension. It's not a fortune, but is intended to ensure we all have a basic amount of money to support us in our old age.
Your entitlement is linked to your National Insurance contributions and you will only receive the full amount if you have paid these for a certain number of years. The good news is that these don't all have to be consecutive. As long as you have paid NI for the specified number of years, you will be eligible for the full State Pension amount.
There are two types of State Pension which have slightly different rules and eligibility depending on whether you're a man or a woman and when you were born.
New State Pension
If you're a man aged 72 or younger (born on or after 6 April 1951) or a woman aged 70 or younger (born on or after 6 April 1953), you are entitled to the New State Pension. For the 2025-26 tax year, the full New State Pension is £232.25 a week or £11,973.00 a year.
You must have paid NI contributions for a minimum of 10 years to qualify for any New State Pension and you must have 35 years of contributions to qualify for the full New State Pension.
If you have fewer than the minimum number of 35 qualifying years of NI contributions, the amount of New State Pension you receive will be less than the full £232.25 a week.
Basic State Pension
If you're a man aged 73 or older (born before 6 April 1951) or a woman aged 71 or older (born before 6 April 1953), you are entitled to the Basic State Pension. For the 2024-25 tax year, the full Basic State Pension is £176.45 per week or £9,175.40 a year.
If you have fewer than the minimum number of qualifying years, the amount of Basic State Pension you receive will be less than the full £176.45 per week.
What is the State Pension age and when does it change?
The State Pension age is the minimum age you must be before you are able to receive your State Pension. It is currently 66, but is scheduled to be increased to 67 between 2026 and 2028, and again to 68 between 2044 and 2046.
In the UK, the State Pension age is periodically reviewed by the government. The Pensions Act 2014 legislated for occasional inquiries to assess "whether the rules about pensionable age are appropriate" and "have regard to life expectancy".[1]
It stipulates the State Pension age must be informed by findings from two independent reports and consider "linking State Pension age to life expectancy and the role of State Pension age in managing the long-term sustainability of the State Pension".[2]
State Pension age upcoming changes
Current State Pension Age | 66 |
From 2026-2028 | 67 |
From 2044-2046 | 68 |
Source: Department for Work & Pensions, 2025.
How much State Pension will I get?
To find out how much State Pension you may get and when you can get it, the GOV.UK website has a handy State Pension forecast which you can use. It will tell you:
How much State Pension you will get
When you will get your first State Pension payments
How to increase your State Pension entitlement (if you can)
How can I increase my State Pension entitlement?
Many people will have gaps in their NI contribution records - thanks to childcare, illness, unemployment or just other life stuff getting in the way - and therefore may not be eligible for the full State Pension amount. The good news is that you can pay to plug the gaps - by getting 'credits' – which you can use to top up your NI contributions and get yourself more State Pension.
Previously, individuals of a certain age were able to pay to fill gaps in their NI contribution record dating back to 2006 in exchange for more State Pension. This was eligible for men born after 5 April 1951 and women born after 5 April 1953. However, as at 6 April 2025, you can only plug gaps going back six tax years.
Filling gaps in your NI record will cost you approximately £824 per year (partial years cost less). For each year you fill, you get an extra 1/35th of State Pension - which works out at around £342. This means you effectively earn your money back in around three years, so it can prove very good value.
Can I defer my State Pension?
You don't get your State Pension automatically - you have to claim it from the government. You usually receive a letter no later than 8 weeks before you reach State Pension age telling you what to do. However, you don't have to take your State Pension at your State Pension age. You can put off receiving the payments and this can actually increase the amount you will get when you do claim it.
To defer your State Pension, you don't have to do anything as it will be automatically deferred until you claim it yourself. You can read more about how to defer your State Pension and how much this could increase your entitlement on the GOV.UK website here.
Can I get the State Pension if I'm self-employed?
Yes! If you're self-employed, you're entitled to the State Pension just like everyone else. However, as eligibility is based on your NI contributions, self-employed people have to take extra care to make sure that they have paid the minimum amount of NI to qualify (and, if you're aiming for the full amount, make sure you hit the minimum threshold for that too).
The government's MoneyHelper service has a great breakdown of how pensions work for self-employed people here.
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