How Much State Pension Will I Get? Check Your Entitlement

Published 9 March 2026 • 7 min read

The full new State Pension is £221.20 per week (£11,502 per year) in 2025/26. How much you actually receive depends on your National Insurance record — you need 35 qualifying years for the full amount and at least 10 years to get anything at all.

Check yours now: You can see your State Pension forecast for free at gov.uk through your Personal Tax Account. It shows how much you are projected to receive and any gaps in your NI record.

How Much You Get by Qualifying Years

35 years (full): £221.20/week (£11,502/year)
30 years: approximately £189.60/week (£9,859/year)
20 years: approximately £126.40/week (£6,573/year)
10 years (minimum): approximately £63.20/week (£3,286/year)
Less than 10 years: £0 — you receive nothing

Each qualifying year adds roughly 1/35th of the full amount to your State Pension.

How to Build Qualifying Years

You get a qualifying year by:

Working and paying NI — earning above the Lower Earnings Limit (£6,396/year)
Receiving NI credits — automatically given when claiming Child Benefit (for a child under 12), Jobseeker’s Allowance, Carer’s Allowance, or Employment and Support Allowance
Making voluntary contributions — paying Class 3 NI to fill gaps

Filling Gaps: The Best Investment You Can Make

If you have gaps in your NI record, voluntary Class 3 contributions cost approximately £824 per year. This could add around £328 per year to your State Pension for life. If you live for 20 years in retirement, that is a return of over £6,500 on an £824 investment.

Currently, a temporary extension allows you to fill gaps back to April 2006. This deadline will not last forever — act sooner rather than later.

Important: Before paying voluntary contributions, check your forecast to ensure it will actually increase your State Pension. If you already have 35+ qualifying years, additional contributions will not add anything. Contact the Future Pension Centre (0800 731 0175) for free guidance.

The Triple Lock

The State Pension increases each April by the highest of average earnings growth, CPI inflation, or 2.5%. This “Triple Lock” ensures your State Pension broadly keeps pace with the cost of living and has delivered significant increases in recent years.

Deferring Your State Pension

You do not have to claim your State Pension immediately. Deferring increases it by approximately 5.8% per year. If you are still working or have other income, deferring can boost your future payments significantly.

Want to plan around your State Pension? A pension adviser can help you factor your State Pension into a comprehensive retirement plan. Get matched for free →

Key Takeaways

The full State Pension is £221.20/week (£11,502/year) — you need 35 qualifying years
Check your forecast on GOV.UK to see your projected amount and any gaps
Filling NI gaps at £824/year can add £328/year to your pension for life — exceptional value
The Triple Lock protects your State Pension against inflation
Deferring your State Pension increases it by ~5.8% per year