Deferring your State Pension

The new State Pension rule: 1% per 9 weeks

If you reached State Pension age on or after 6 April 2016, you must defer for at least 9 weeks before you can claim increased regular payments. For every 9 weeks you defer, you get 1% added to your regular weekly payment for life. That works out at just under 5.8% for every 52 weeks you defer. GOV.UK's own examples use the full new State Pension: defer for 52 weeks and you get an extra £13.99 a week; defer for 104 weeks (2 years) and you get an extra £27.99 a week. After you claim, the extra amount usually increases each year in line with CPI, not the triple lock — a small but real difference over a long retirement.

The arrears option: up to 12 months backdated

Instead of (or as well as) increased regular payments, you can backdate your claim by up to 12 months and take a one-off arrears payment. No interest is added to it. GOV.UK's example: defer for 78 weeks (18 months), backdate 12 months for a one-off payment of £12,547.60 (a year at the full rate), and take the remaining 26 weeks as increased regular payments worth an extra £6.97 a week. If you deferred for more than 52 weeks, up to 52 weeks can be taken as arrears and the rest as increased payments. The interest-bearing lump sum that existed under the old system is not available under the new State Pension.

The break-even test: the part people skip

Deferring means giving up a year (or more) of payments in exchange for a higher payment for the rest of your life. GOV.UK puts it plainly: it takes over 15 years to get back 52 weeks of deferred full new State Pension, and about one extra year for each additional 52 weeks deferred. In other words, deferring for a year only pays off if you live past roughly age 82 (for someone with a State Pension age of 67). That is a reasonable bet for many healthy people — and a poor one for someone in ill health, or someone who needs the income now. There is also a trap: if you or your partner receive certain benefits, deferring may not increase your State Pension at all, so check that before deciding. And you can stop claiming once, after you have started, to begin a new period of deferral.

The old system is different

If you reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016, the deferral rate is more generous: 1% for every 5 weeks deferred, or just under 10.4% for a full year. On the full basic State Pension of £184.90, 52 weeks of deferral adds about £19.22 a week. People on the old system who deferred for at least 12 months could also choose a lump sum with interest instead of a higher weekly payment. The two systems' deferral rules are easy to confuse — make sure any example you read says which system it belongs to.

Frequently asked questions

Can I defer after I have already started claiming?

Yes, once. You can stop your payments once to start a new period of deferral, and the same 9-week minimum and 1%-per-9-weeks rule applies to the new period.

Is the extra amount from deferring triple-locked?

No. Once you claim, the deferral extra usually increases in line with CPI, while the main State Pension is triple-locked. Over decades that gap compounds.

What if I die during deferral?

Your spouse or civil partner may be able to inherit part of your deferred entitlement, depending on when you reached State Pension age and the rules in force. See the protected payments guide.