The UK State Pension, explained in plain English

Key numbers for 2026/27

Rates for the 2026/27 tax year. The full new State Pension rose from £230.25 in 2025/26 to £241.30, and the full basic State Pension from £176.45 to £184.90. Rates change each April — always confirm the current year's figures on GOV.UK before relying on them.

One warning before you start

If you see a viral post promising £600 or more a week from the State Pension, it is not the State Pension rate. The official full rate of the new State Pension for 2026/27 is £241.30 a week, and nobody receives a standard State Pension of several hundred pounds a week. Some people receive more than £241.30 because of a protected payment built up under the old rules, but that is an individual top-up, not a headline rate. Whenever a figure looks too good, check it against GOV.UK — that is the habit this whole site is built around.

Which system are you on?

It depends on one date: when you reached, or will reach, State Pension age. If that date is on or after 6 April 2016, you are on the new State Pension — a single flat-rate payment. If it is before 6 April 2016, you are on the old system: the basic State Pension plus, for many people, an earnings-related Additional State Pension built up under SERPS or the State Second Pension. You cannot choose between the systems, and the guides here say clearly which one each rule belongs to.

All the guides

• The new State Pension vs the basic State Pension: which one is yours?
  Two systems, one dividing line: 6 April 2016. Reach State Pension age on or after that date and you are on the new State Pension; reach it before, and you are on the basic State Pension plus Additional State Pension. Her
• State Pension age: the 66 to 67 timetable, and what comes after
  State Pension age is currently 66 — but it is rising to 67 in monthly steps between April 2026 and April 2028. Your exact date depends on your date of birth, and a single day can move it by a whole month. Here is the ful
• Your National Insurance record: how to check it, and what gaps mean
  Your State Pension is built from your National Insurance record — and most records have gaps. Checking the record, understanding which years count, and knowing which gaps can be filled for free is the single most useful
• Voluntary National Insurance: buying back years, and the payback math
  One missing qualifying year can be bought — but at £956.80 for a full year in 2026/27, it is only worth it if the year actually raises your pension. Here is the cost, the gain, the payback time, and the checks to make be
• Deferring your State Pension: what delaying really pays
  You do not have to claim at State Pension age — and waiting pays. Under the new State Pension, every 9 weeks of deferral adds 1% to your weekly payment for life. But the break-even point is more than 15 years away, so de
• Pension Credit: the top-up that is not the State Pension (pointer guide)
  Pension Credit is a separate, means-tested benefit that tops up low pensioner incomes — and it is claimed by far fewer people than are eligible. This is a pointer guide only: the deep guide, with rates, the savings rule,
• Protected payments, contracting out, and what your spouse can inherit
  Some people receive more than the full new State Pension — not by mistake, but because of a protected payment. Others receive less, because they were contracted out. Both come from the pre-2016 system, and both are widel
• Retiring abroad: where your State Pension keeps rising, and where it freezes
  Your State Pension is payable anywhere in the world — but whether it rises each April depends entirely on where you live. In some countries it is triple-locked exactly as at home; in others, including Australia and Canad
• How to claim your State Pension: when, how, and what you need
  Your State Pension is never paid automatically — you have to claim it, and the claim window opens 4 months before your State Pension age. Here is how claiming works online, by phone, and by post, what to have ready, and
• Tax on the State Pension, and the first-payment checklist
  The State Pension is paid gross — no tax is taken off it — but it counts as taxable income, and at £12,547.60 a year the full rate now sits just £22.40 below the personal allowance. Add this checklist to the tax picture

Frequently asked questions

Do I get the State Pension automatically at State Pension age?

No. You have to claim it — it is never paid automatically. See the claiming guide for how, and the deferring guide if you are thinking of putting your claim off.

Is £241.30 a week what everyone gets?

No. It is the full rate of the new State Pension. What you actually get depends on your National Insurance record: 35 qualifying years for the full rate, a proportionate amount between 10 and 35 years, and nothing below 10 years (with some exceptions for time abroad). People who were contracted out before 2016 may need more than 35 years.

Where do the figures on this site come from?

GOV.UK. Every rate, age, and deadline in these guides was checked against GOV.UK pages at the time of writing, and each guide links to the official pages so you can re-check them yourself. Figures from social media posts, calculators, or forums are never used as sources here.