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How much State Pension will I get, and can I trust my forecast?

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UKUpdated 6 October 2026 · Written by BuyMeWhiskey Editorial Team · How we check facts

The full new State Pension is £241.30 a week in 2026/27, but your amount depends on your National Insurance record: you need 10 qualifying years for any pension and usually 35 or more for the full rate, and your GOV.UK forecast shows your figure.

Get your personal figure, your State Pension age and your NI record from the official Check your State Pension service. It takes a few minutes.

Check your State Pension forecast

The full rate and how many years you need

For 2026/27, the full new State Pension is £241.30 a week, which is £12,547.60 over 52 weeks. It applies to people who reached State Pension age on or after 6 April 2016. You need at least 10 qualifying years of National Insurance (NI) to get anything. If your NI record started after April 2016, you need 35 qualifying years for the full amount.

Most people retiring now also have NI years from before 2016. For them, DWP worked out a "starting amount" at 5 April 2016. It's the higher of what you'd have got under the old rules or the new ones, and both versions include a deduction for any time you were contracted out. Each qualifying year you add after April 2016 increases it by about £6.89 a week (the full rate divided by 35), until you reach the full rate or State Pension age.

Why many people don't get the full amount

Contracting out. If you were in a final salary scheme, or in many workplace pensions before 2012, you and your employer paid less NI towards the State Pension and more into the workplace pension. GOV.UK says you'll usually need more than 35 qualifying years to reach the full rate. Contracted-out years still count as qualifying years. They aren't gaps.
Gaps from years abroad, low earnings, self-employment with small profits or time out of work without NI credits.
Married women's reduced-rate NI paid in the past.

Some people get more than £241.30. If your starting amount was higher because of Additional State Pension, the extra is a protected payment, paid on top. That's often why one partner's forecast is noticeably higher than the other's: each person's State Pension depends on their own NI record.

Your forecast: what it shows and how far to trust it

The Check your State Pension service on GOV.UK shows your State Pension age, an estimate of what you could get then, whether you can increase it, and your NI record. It's built from your actual NI record, so it's the most reliable guide you can get. If it shows a higher figure you could get, that usually depends on adding more qualifying years before State Pension age, at about £6.89 a week each, so stopping work early without NI credits can leave you with less. A common surprise is a forecast that reaches the full rate with fewer than 35 years. That happens when your starting amount in 2016 was already high.

State Pension age and getting paid

State Pension age is 66 and is rising to 67 between 2026 and 2028. If you were born between 6 April 1960 and 5 March 1961, you reach it at 66 plus a number of months (from 1 to 11). If you were born from 6 March 1961 onwards, it's 67, and it could change again for younger people after future reviews. You have to claim, because it isn't paid automatically. Your first payment arrives no later than 5 weeks after the date you choose, and then every 4 weeks. Your payment day depends on the last two digits of your NI number. If you put off claiming for at least 9 weeks, your pension goes up by just under 5.8% for each year you defer.

The State Pension rises every April by the highest of average earnings growth, CPI inflation or 2.5%. Protected payments rise with CPI only.

Tax on the State Pension

The State Pension is taxable income, but it's paid without tax taken off. If you also have a workplace or personal pension, that provider usually collects the tax owed on both through your tax code. If the State Pension is your only income and you go over your Personal Allowance, HMRC sends a Simple Assessment bill. The full new State Pension on its own (£12,547.60) is just below the £12,570 Personal Allowance.

Filling gaps with voluntary NI

You can usually pay voluntary contributions for the past 6 years, with a deadline of 5 April each year. For example, gaps in 2025/26 can be filled until 5 April 2032. In 2026/27, Class 3 costs £18.40 a week, or £956.80 for a full year. Check your forecast first, because a year only helps if you're below the full rate.

Workplace and personal pensions

Most people need more than the State Pension. If you're aged 22 to State Pension age and earn at least £10,000 a year, your employer must enrol you in a workplace pension. You get tax relief on contributions of up to 100% of your earnings, and even people with no earnings can pay in £2,880 a year and have it topped up to £3,600. From 6 April 2028, the minimum age to take money from a private pension rises from 55 to 57, unless your scheme gives you a protected pension age.

Karen's weekly State Pension (today's money)

Worked example

Karen's forecast says she's on track for £200.00 a week today and that she has 5 more years to State Pension age. She's working full time.

Five more qualifying years: 5 × £6.89 = £34.45, which takes her to £200.00 + £34.45 = £234.45 a week (in today's money).
Gap to the full rate: £241.30 − £234.45 = £6.85 a week, so one more year (for example a voluntary Class 3 year to fill an old gap) would top her up to the full rate.
Cost of that year: 52 × £18.40 = £956.80 at the 2026/27 Class 3 rate.
What it pays back: £6.85 × 52 = £356.20 a year. She gets her money back in £956.80 ÷ £356.20 ≈ 2.7 years of retirement, and the extra keeps rising each April.

Before paying, Karen checks her NI record on GOV.UK, which shows whether paying for a particular year would increase her pension. If her forecast were already at the full rate, voluntary contributions wouldn't add anything.

How safe is my pension?#

The State Pension is paid by the government. If a defined benefit (final salary) scheme's employer becomes insolvent and the scheme can't pay, the Pension Protection Fund pays compensation. For personal and workplace pensions held with UK insurers, FSCS can usually cover 100% with no upper limit if the provider fails. SIPPs and some investments are capped at £85,000, and no scheme protects you from normal investment losses.

Can pension contributions take my pay below the National Living Wage?#

Not if they're ordinary deductions. GOV.UK says pension contributions you ask to have deducted don't reduce your minimum wage pay, but your employer's own contribution doesn't count towards it either. With salary sacrifice, the amount you give up isn't counted as pay, so your remaining pay must still meet the £12.71 an hour National Living Wage (21 and over, from April 2026).

Why am I not getting the full State Pension?#

Usually because you were contracted out before 2016, or because you have gaps in your NI record. Contracted-out years count as qualifying years, but they came with a deduction from your starting amount, so you may need more than 35 years to reach £241.30. Your forecast shows how many more years you need.

Can I rely on my State Pension forecast?#

It's based on your actual NI record and DWP's own calculation, so it's the best guide available. But any higher 'could get' figure depends on you adding qualifying years before State Pension age, so stopping work early without NI credits can mean a lower final amount. Check it again every few years.

Why is my State Pension forecast higher than the full new State Pension?#

If you built up Additional State Pension before 2016, your starting amount can be higher than £241.30. The extra is a protected payment, paid on top of the full rate. It goes up each year with CPI rather than under the triple lock.

When will I get my first State Pension payment?#

You choose a start date when you claim, from your State Pension age, and the first payment arrives no later than 5 weeks after that date. After that you're paid every 4 weeks, on a weekday set by your NI number. You may get a part payment first.

Is the State Pension taxable?#

Yes. It counts as taxable income but is paid without tax deducted. Tax due on it is usually collected through the tax code on a workplace or personal pension, or through a Simple Assessment bill if it's your only income. The full new State Pension alone is just under the £12,570 Personal Allowance.

Is it too late to start a pension?#

No. You get tax relief on contributions of up to 100% of your earnings, and your employer must auto-enrol you if you're 22 to State Pension age and earn £10,000 or more. Even without earnings you can pay in £2,880 a year and have it grossed up to £3,600. Starting late means smaller pots, so the employer contribution matters even more.

Is the earliest age to take my private pension changing in April 2028?#

Yes. From 6 April 2028, the normal minimum pension age rises from 55 to 57. Some people have a protected pension age under their scheme rules, and members of the police, firefighter and armed forces schemes aren't affected. Ask your provider if you're not sure.

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Sources

Figures checked against these sources on 6 October 2026. If a rule changes, we update the page and its date.

General information, not personal financial advice. Rules depend on your circumstances; check the official source or speak to a regulated adviser before acting.