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You鈥檒l be able to claim the new State Pension when you reach State Pension age if you鈥檙e:

• a man born on or after 6 April 1951
• a woman born on or after 6 April 1953

If you were born before, these rules do not apply. Instead, you鈥檒l get the basic State Pension. You may also get Additional State Pension.

Your National Insurance record

You鈥檒l need 10 qualifying years on your National Insurance record to get any new State Pension.

A qualifying year is one in which you were:

• working and made National Insurance contributions
• getting National Insurance credits for example if you were unemployed, ill or a parent or carer
• paying voluntary National Insurance contributions

You might also qualify if you鈥檝e lived or worked abroad or paid reduced rate National Insurance for married women.

Your spouse or civil partner鈥檚 pension

Your new State Pension is usually based on your own National Insurance record. In some cases you might inherit State Pension or increase it through a spouse or civil partner.

Your State Pension amount depends on your National Insurance record.

Check your State Pension forecast to find out how much you could get when you reach State Pension age. It also shows your National Insurance record.

The full rate of new State Pension is 拢221.20 a week. Your amount could be different depending on:

• if you were contracted out before 2016
• the number of National Insurance qualifying years you have
• if you paid into the Additional State Pension before 2016

If you鈥檙e getting less than 拢221.20 a week

You might need more National Insurance qualifying years to increase your State Pension.

If your National Insurance record started before April 2016

You may have been contracted out. While you were contracted out, you or your employer paid more into your workplace or private pension and less into your State Pension.

If you were contracted out, you will usually need more than 35 qualifying years to get the full rate of new State Pension.

If your National Insurance record started after April 2016

If your National Insurance record started after April 2016 you will need 35 qualifying years to get the full rate of new State Pension.

If you鈥檙e getting more than 拢221.20 a week

If you paid into the Additional State Pension before 2016 and would have got more State Pension under the old rules, you鈥檒l get a 鈥榩rotected payment鈥�. This is paid on top of the full rate of new State Pension.

Annual increases

The new State Pension increases each year by whichever is the highest:

• earnings 鈥� the average percentage growth in wages (in Great Britain)
• prices 鈥� the percentage growth in prices in the UK measured by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI)
• 2.5%

If you have a protected payment, it increases each year in line with the CPI.

Further information

You can read 鈥榊our new State Pension explained鈥� for more detailed information about the new State Pension scheme.

You will not get your new State Pension automatically - you have to claim it.

You鈥檒l need:

• the date of your most recent marriage, civil partnership or divorce
• the dates of any time spent living or working abroad
• your bank or building society details
• any social security numbers that you have for foreign state pension schemes

If you鈥檙e applying online, you鈥檒l also need the invitation code from the letter about getting your State Pension.

If you have not received an invitation letter but you are within 3 months of reaching your State Pension age, you can .

Other ways to apply

Claim by phone

If you鈥檒l reach State Pension age in the next 4 months, you can phone the Pension Service to claim.

Claim by post

You need to phone the Pension Service to get a State Pension claim form posted to you.

Send your completed form to:

Do not write anything except the freepost address on the envelope. You do not need a postcode or a stamp.

After you apply

You must tell the Pension Service if your circumstances change.

If you want to keep working

You can claim your new State Pension even if you carry on working. However, you can delay (defer) claiming your state pension to increase the amount you get.

If you also want to claim a state pension from another country

You might be able to make a single claim in the UK. The state pension schemes in other countries you鈥檝e lived or worked in could then be told that you鈥檝e made a claim.

If they鈥檙e told, those other schemes will let you know if you鈥檙e eligible. You will not need to make separate claims to them.

This applies to state pension schemes in:

• the European Economic Area (EEA) 鈥� this includes any country in the EU as well as Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein
• Switzerland
• any country that has a social security agreement with the UK, apart from Canada and New Zealand

To check which countries the UK has a social security agreement with read the State Pension annual increases guidance.

Claiming an Isle of Man pension

If you鈥檙e eligible for a state pension from the Isle of Man, it will be separate to your UK new State Pension.

Find out . You鈥檒l get one payment for your UK pension and a separate payment for your Isle of Man pension.

You cannot defer an Isle of Man pension after 6 April 2016.

After you鈥檝e claimed your State Pension you鈥檒l get a letter about your payments.

The new State Pension is usually paid into your account every 4 weeks. If you want to change the account, tell the Pension Service.

Your first payment

You鈥檒l be asked when you want to start getting your State Pension when you claim. Your first payment will be no later than 5 weeks after the date you choose.

You鈥檒l get a full payment every 4 weeks after that.

You might get part of a payment before your first full payment. The letter confirming your State Pension payment will tell you what to expect.

Your payment day

The day your pension is paid depends on your National Insurance number.

You might be paid earlier if your normal payment day is a bank holiday.

Last 2 digits of your National Insurance number	Payment day of the week
00 to 19	Monday
20 to 39	Tuesday
40 to 59	Wednesday
60 to 79	Thursday
80 to 99	Friday

You can get advice from an independent financial adviser if you want more information on increasing your retirement income.

Adding onto your National Insurance record

Each qualifying year after 6 April 2016 added to your National Insurance record increases your State Pension amount, up to the full rate (拢221.20 a week).

Get a State Pension forecast or check your State Pension award letter to see what you鈥檒l get.

You might be able to add more National Insurance qualifying years by:

• working and paying National Insurance contributions until you reach State Pension age
• getting National Insurance credits
• making voluntary National Insurance contributions to fill gaps in your record

Years where you were contracted out count as qualifying years and are not gaps in your National Insurance record.

Workplace or personal pensions

You can pay into a workplace pension or personal pension.

Working after State Pension age

You can keep working after you reach State Pension age. If you do, you鈥檒l stop paying National Insurance.

Delaying (deferring) your State Pension

Your State Pension will increase every week you delay (defer) claiming it, as long as you defer for at least 9 weeks.

For every year you delay claiming, your weekly payments increase by just under 5.8%.

You cannot build up this extra State Pension if you get certain benefits. Deferring can also affect how much you can get in benefits.

Other benefits if you鈥檝e reached State Pension age

If you鈥檙e on a low income, you may be eligible to apply for Pension Credit, even if you鈥檝e saved money for retirement.

If you have a disability and someone helps look after you, you may be eligible for Attendance Allowance.

You may be eligible for other benefits and financial support.

You might be able to inherit an extra payment on top of your new State Pension if you鈥檙e widowed.

Inheriting Additional State Pension

You might inherit part of your deceased partner鈥檚 Additional State Pension if your marriage or civil partnership with them began before 6 April 2016 and one of the following applies:

• your partner reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016
• they died before 6 April 2016 but would have reached State Pension age on or after that date

It will be paid with your State Pension.

Inheriting a protected payment

You鈥檒l inherit half of your partner鈥檚 protected payment if your marriage or civil partnership with them began before 6 April 2016 and:

• they reached State Pension age on or after 6 April 2016
• they died on or after 6 April 2016

It will be paid with your State Pension.

Inheriting extra State Pension or a lump sum

You may inherit part of or all of your partner鈥檚 extra State Pension or lump sum if:

• they died while they were deferring their State Pension (before claiming) or they had started claiming it after deferring
• they reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016
• you were married or in the civil partnership when they died

Your partner鈥檚 National Insurance record and your State Pension

The new State Pension is based on your own National Insurance record.

If you get divorced or dissolve your civil partnership

The courts can make a 鈥榩ension sharing order鈥� if you get divorced or dissolve your civil partnership.

You鈥檒l get an extra payment on top of your State Pension if your ex-partner is ordered to share their Additional State Pension or protected payment with you.

Your State Pension will be reduced if you鈥檙e ordered to share your Additional State Pension or protected payment with your partner.

If you鈥檝e lived or worked in another country, this could affect your claim for the new State Pension. How it could affect your claim depends on:

• how many qualifying years you have in your National Insurance record
• which countries you鈥檝e lived or worked in

You鈥檒l be asked to provide details about time spent abroad when you claim the new State Pension.

You might also be eligible for a foreign state pension as well as the new State Pension in the UK. Contact the foreign pension service to find out about your eligibility.

If you have less than 10 qualifying years on your National Insurance record

You usually need 10 qualifying years on your National Insurance record to be eligible.

You could still be eligible if you made contributions to the state pensions in:

• the European Economic Area (EEA) 鈥� this includes any country in the EU as well as Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein
• Switzerland
• any country that has a social security agreement with the UK

To check which countries the UK has a social security agreement with read the State Pension annual increases guidance.

You could also be eligible if you鈥檝e lived in:

• Canada
• New Zealand
• Australia, before 5 April 2001

If you made contributions in the EEA, Switzerland or a country with a social security agreement

Time spent making contributions in these countries can be added to the qualifying years in your UK National Insurance record.

That time will be added on when you make a claim.

If you have 10 or more years in total, you could get the new State Pension.

However, the amount you actually get paid will only be based on the qualifying years in your UK National Insurance record.

If you鈥檝e lived in Canada, New Zealand or Australia

If you currently live in the UK, time spent living in Canada or New Zealand could be added to the qualifying years in your UK National Insurance record. Time spent living in Australia before 5 April 2001 can also be added.

If you do not currently live in the UK, you might also be able to add this time if all of the following apply:

• you currently live in the EEA or Switzerland
• you鈥檙e a UK, EEA or Swiss national
• you鈥檝e lived in the same country since before 1 January 2022

Wherever you live, you鈥檒l also have to meet other criteria. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will work out whether you meet these criteria when you make a claim.

If you meet the criteria and the time can be added, you could get the new State Pension if you have 10 or more years in total.

The amount you get paid will be based on the qualifying years in your UK National Insurance record and the time added on from these countries.

You can only get paid up to the full rate of the new State Pension.

If you have 10 or more qualifying years on your National Insurance record

You can get more qualifying years added to your National Insurance record if you made state pension contributions in:

• the European Economic Area (EEA) 鈥� this includes any country in the EU as well as Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein
• Switzerland

You can also get more money from your new State Pension if you鈥檝e lived in:

• Canada
• New Zealand
• Australia, before 5 April 2001

If you made contributions in the EEA or Switzerland

Usually, if you have not made UK National Insurance contributions for a full year then it will not count as a qualifying year.

However, partial years of making UK National Insurance contributions could count if:

• you made UK National Insurance contributions for part of a year
• you also made state pension contributions in that same year to any country in the EEA or Switzerland

The time spent paying UK National Insurance contributions will then be added onto your qualifying years when you make your claim.

If you鈥檝e lived in Canada, New Zealand or Australia

If you currently live in the UK, time spent living in Canada or New Zealand could be added to the qualifying years in your UK National Insurance record. Time spent living in Australia before 5 April 2001 can also be added.

If you do not currently live in the UK, you might also be able to add this time if all of the following apply:

• you currently live in the EEA or Switzerland
• you鈥檙e a UK, EEA or Swiss national
• you鈥檝e lived in the same country since before 1 January 2022

Wherever you live, you鈥檒l also have to meet other criteria. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will work out whether you meet these criteria when you make a claim.

If you meet the criteria and the time can be added, then the amount you get paid will be based on the qualifying years in your UK National Insurance record and the time added on.

You can only get paid up to the full rate of the new State Pension.