State Pension Calculator 2026-27

The full new State Pension is £241.30 per week (£12,547.60/year) for 2026/27, uprated annually by the triple lock (highest of earnings growth, CPI inflation, or 2.5%). You need 35 qualifying years of National Insurance contributions to receive the full amount. With fewer than 35 years, you receive a proportional amount: each qualifying year adds 1/35th, so 25 years gives 25/35 x £241.30 = £158.00/week. A minimum of 10 qualifying years is required to receive anything.

Qualifying years are built through employed earnings above the lower earnings limit (£6,708/year for 2026/27), self-employed Class 4 NI contributions, or National Insurance credits (received automatically for Child Benefit recipients, Universal Credit claimants, and carers). You can check your NI record online to see how many qualifying years you have and identify any gaps.

Gaps in your NI record can be filled by paying voluntary Class 3 contributions (£17.45/week for 2026/27). Each additional year purchased adds approximately £6.34/week (£329.68/year) to your State Pension. At the current Class 3 rate, buying one year costs around £907 and pays back within about 2.75 years of receiving the pension — making it one of the best returns available for most people with gaps in their record.

What you need to qualify. The new State Pension (from 6 April 2016) requires 10 qualifying NI years to receive anything and 35 years for the full £241.30/week (2026/27). Each missing year costs you 1/35 of the full pension — £6.89/week or £358/year. Qualifying years come from employment (above the Lower Earnings Limit of £6,708/year in 2026/27), self-employment Class 4 NI, or NI credits given automatically to those receiving Child Benefit (until youngest child is 12), Universal Credit, Carer's Allowance, or Jobseeker's Allowance.

How to check and fill gaps. Visit gov.uk/check-state-pension to see your forecast and full NI record. If you have gaps, you can usually pay voluntary Class 3 NI contributions (£17.45/week in 2026/27 = £907/year) to fill years up to 6 years back. Each year purchased adds £6.89/week to your pension — a payback period of just over 3 years if you live to State Pension age. This is one of the highest-return 'investments' available to UK adults. Specific historical years can sometimes be filled at lower rates.

State Pension age changes. State Pension age is currently 66 for both men and women. It rises to 67 between 6 April 2026 and 5 April 2028 (depending on date of birth). A further increase to 68 is scheduled between 2044 and 2046, though there is pressure to bring this forward to 2037-2039. Use the gov.uk/state-pension-age tool to check your exact date. You can defer your State Pension after reaching pension age — for every 9 weeks of deferral, your pension increases by 1% (5.8% per year deferred), with no upper limit.

Triple lock and how the £241.30 was calculated. The triple lock guarantees the State Pension rises each April by the highest of: (1) CPI inflation in September, (2) average weekly earnings growth, or (3) 2.5%. For 2026/27, average earnings growth of 4.1% applied — taking the new State Pension from £221.20 to £241.30/week (£11,502/year to £12,547.60/year). The triple lock has been politically controversial and several governments have committed to maintaining it, though long-term sustainability is debated.

Pension Credit top-up for low earners. If your total income (including State Pension) is below £227.10/week (single) or £346.60/week (couple), you qualify for Pension Credit which tops you up to those figures. Pension Credit also opens doors to other benefits: free TV licence (over 75), Cold Weather Payments, Council Tax Reduction, Housing Benefit, free dental care, glasses, NHS prescriptions. ~850,000 eligible pensioners do not claim — a single person can be missing out on £4,000+/year. Apply via gov.uk/pension-credit or 0800 99 1234.