State pension UK 2026: how much you get, how to qualify and the triple lock explained

Pensions

TL;DR

The full new State Pension is £221.20 per week (£11,502.40 per year) in 2025/26, payable from state pension age (currently 66). You need 35 qualifying National Insurance years for the full amount and at least 10 qualifying years for any payment. The state pension increases each April under the triple lock - by the highest of CPI inflation, average earnings growth, or 2.5 percent. Gaps in your NI record can be filled voluntarily; the cost-benefit analysis strongly favours filling recent gaps for most people.

Key facts (2026)

The full new State Pension is £221.20 per week for 2025/26, increased by 4.1 percent under the triple lock (earnings measure) from the previous year's £213.00 per week (DWP, State Pension uprating April 2025).
State pension age is currently 66 for both men and women; scheduled rises to 67 between 2026 and 2028 will affect those born after 5 April 1960, and a further rise to 68 is under review (Pensions Act 2014 and Pensions Act 2021 review).
You need at least 10 qualifying National Insurance years to receive any State Pension, and 35 qualifying years for the full amount; years between 10 and 35 qualify for a proportionate amount (DWP State Pension qualifying rules).
Voluntary Class 3 NI contributions can fill gaps in your NI record; gaps from 2006/07 to 2018/19 can currently be filled at a lower transitional rate under a DWP offer extended to 5 April 2025 (now passed); gaps from 2019/20 onwards cost the current Class 3 rate of £17.45 per week (2025/26) (HMRC NI contributions guidance).
The State Pension is taxable income; however, it is paid gross (without tax deducted at source) and counts toward your total income for income tax purposes, potentially reducing the personal allowance available against other income (HMRC State Pension income tax guidance).

How the new State Pension is calculated

The new State Pension system applies to those who reached state pension age on or after 6 April 2016. Before that date, a two-tier system of basic and additional State Pension applied. Under the new system, each qualifying year of National Insurance contributions or credits adds 1/35 of the full State Pension amount to your entitlement. A person with 25 qualifying years receives 25/35 of the full amount - approximately £158.00 per week at 2025/26 rates. Those who had accrued rights under the old system at April 2016 received a 'starting amount' that preserved those entitlements; for some people this starting amount is higher than the new system equivalent, in which case the higher figure applies. The DWP's State Pension forecast tool on gov.uk shows your current qualifying years, projected years by retirement age, and estimated weekly payment.

What counts as a qualifying NI year

A qualifying year is a tax year in which you have NI contributions or credits sufficient to meet the Lower Earnings Limit. For employees, this is straightforward if you earn above the Lower Earnings Limit (£6,396 in 2025/26) throughout the year. For the self-employed, Class 4 NI is paid on profits above the lower profits limit, and Class 2 NI builds State Pension entitlement for those with profits above the small profits threshold. NI credits are awarded for periods outside employment that the government recognises as valid: receipt of Child Benefit for a child under 12 (which is why the Child Benefit clawback issue matters for parents who stop claiming), Jobseeker's Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance, Carer's Allowance, Statutory Sick Pay periods, and jury service. If you are not working and not receiving benefits, you may not be accruing qualifying years; checking your NI record regularly through your personal tax account is advisable.

The triple lock: how the State Pension increases each year

The State Pension increases each April under the triple lock, which guarantees that the rate rises by the highest of: CPI inflation (measured in the September before the April uprating), average earnings growth (measured using the Average Weekly Earnings figures for the May to July quarter), or 2.5 percent. For 2025/26, the uprating was determined by the earnings measure of 4.1 percent. The triple lock was introduced by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition in 2011; its continuation has been a politically significant commitment because of its substantial long-run cost. The government has committed to maintaining the triple lock for the current parliament, but its long-term future beyond 2029 is subject to political risk. The cumulative effect of the triple lock has been to increase the State Pension significantly relative to average earnings and inflation since 2011.

Filling gaps in your NI record: the cost-benefit case

Voluntary Class 3 NI contributions allow you to fill gaps in your NI record from past years. The 2025/26 Class 3 rate is £17.45 per week (£907.40 per year of gap). Each additional qualifying year adds 1/35 of the full State Pension to your weekly entitlement - approximately £6.32 per week at current rates, or £328.64 per year. The payback period for the cost of filling a gap is therefore approximately 2.76 years of State Pension receipt (£907.40 / £328.64). Given that average life expectancy at 66 is approximately 20 years for men and 23 years for women (ONS life tables), the financial case for filling gaps is overwhelmingly positive for most people with gaps from recent years. Gaps from more distant tax years cost the same but are evaluated against the same annual return, so the payback logic is identical. Use the HMRC personal tax account and the DWP pension check tool to identify gaps before making voluntary contributions.

Deferring the State Pension: the financial logic

You do not have to claim the State Pension as soon as you reach state pension age. Deferring your claim increases the weekly amount you subsequently receive. Under the current rules, deferring by one year increases the State Pension by 1 percent for every nine weeks of deferral - equivalent to approximately 5.8 percent per year of deferral. Deferring for one year increases the State Pension by approximately £12.86 per week at current rates, from £221.20 to approximately £234.06. The break-even point - the number of years of receipt needed to recover the deferred payments - is approximately 17 years. For someone deferring at 66 and expecting to live to 90, deferral makes financial sense. For those with health concerns or shorter life expectancy, it may not. It is also worth noting that if the State Pension is your primary income, deferring means a year with substantially lower income; the tax position and the interaction with savings drawdown need to be considered in the context of your full retirement income plan.

State Pension for those who have lived or worked abroad

Time spent working and paying NI in the UK always counts toward your State Pension qualifying years. Time spent in other countries depends on whether the UK has a social security agreement with that country. Reciprocal agreements cover, among others, EU member states (under the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement arrangements for NI credit aggregation), the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and a range of other countries. Under these agreements, qualifying periods in the other country may be aggregated with UK NI years to meet the minimum qualifying years threshold, though the actual State Pension paid is still based only on UK NI years. For those who have spent significant periods abroad, the gov.uk International Pension Centre provides guidance on how overseas periods affect State Pension entitlement.

The State Pension and income tax

The State Pension is taxable income. In 2025/26 the full State Pension of £11,502.40 per year is below the personal allowance of £12,570, so State Pension recipients with no other income pay no income tax. However, pensioners typically have other income sources - private or workplace pensions, savings interest, part-time work - and the State Pension is added to these to determine total income for tax purposes. For those with total income above £12,570, the State Pension reduces the personal allowance available against other income, effectively increasing the tax on that other income. The State Pension is paid gross; HMRC collects any tax due by adjusting the PAYE tax code applied to private pension payments, which results in more tax being deducted from the private pension to account for the untaxed State Pension. Keeping track of this interaction is important to avoid an unexpected tax bill.

Related guides

Frequently asked questions

How do I check how many NI qualifying years I have?

Log in to your personal tax account on gov.uk using your Government Gateway credentials. The NI section shows your qualifying years to date, any gaps in your record, and whether each year is full, partial or a gap. The State Pension forecast tool on the same platform estimates your projected weekly State Pension at current state pension age based on your record. This tool is the most reliable source for your personal position; do not rely on informal estimates.

Does Child Benefit count toward State Pension qualifying years?

Yes. Receiving Child Benefit for a child under 12 generates NI credits that count as qualifying years for State Pension purposes. This is particularly important for parents who take time out of work to care for children. The controversy around the High Income Child Benefit Charge - which affects households with income above £60,000 and claws back the Child Benefit payment - has led some higher earners to stop claiming Child Benefit entirely, inadvertently losing NI credits. If you stopped claiming to avoid the charge, you can claim NI credits separately (without the Child Benefit payment) to preserve the State Pension entitlement.

Can I get the State Pension if I live abroad?

Yes. UK State Pension is payable to eligible recipients regardless of where they live in the world, paid directly to a bank account of your choice. However, the triple lock uprating applies only if you live in the UK, the EEA, Switzerland, or a country with a relevant reciprocal agreement; pensioners in countries without an agreement - including Australia, Canada and New Zealand historically - receive the State Pension frozen at the rate applicable when they left the UK or first claimed. This 'frozen pension' issue affects approximately half a million UK State Pension recipients abroad.

What is the basic State Pension versus the new State Pension?

The basic State Pension applies to those who reached state pension age before 6 April 2016 (men born before 6 April 1951 and women born before 6 April 1953). The full basic State Pension is £169.50 per week for 2025/26, lower than the full new State Pension of £221.20. Recipients of the old basic State Pension may also receive additional State Pension (SERPS or S2P) accrued under the old two-tier system. The new State Pension applies to everyone who reached state pension age from 6 April 2016 onwards, combining both elements into a single flat-rate payment.

What happens to my State Pension if I die before claiming?

If you die before claiming the State Pension, your surviving spouse or civil partner may be able to inherit some or all of your State Pension entitlement depending on the rules that apply to your pension type. Under the new State Pension (from April 2016), inheritance rules are more limited than under the old system; a surviving spouse may inherit a proportion of the deceased's protected payment (additional amounts above the flat rate preserved from the old system) but not the full new State Pension amount. Contact the DWP Pension Service to understand the specific inheritance position in your situation.

How we verified this guide

State Pension weekly rate was confirmed from DWP's April 2025 uprating announcement. Triple lock calculation and earnings measure were confirmed from the DWP's uprating statement and ONS AWE data. Class 3 NI rate was confirmed from HMRC's 2025/26 National Insurance rates publication. Deferral increase rate was confirmed from gov.uk State Pension deferral guidance. Frozen pension policy was confirmed from DWP's international State Pension guidance.

Disclaimer: This guide is information only, not financial, legal or tax advice. Rates, allowances and rules change. Always check the primary sources cited and consult a regulated adviser for decisions about your own circumstances.

Primary sources

Last reviewed: May 2026.