State Pension Age: How to Check Yours and What You'll Get

Your State Pension age isn't fixed for life: GOV.UK says it's regularly reviewed, so the answer the checker gives you today may change. Below is how to check it, what the age does and doesn't mean for your working life, who gets the new State Pension and how the amount is worked out.

What the GOV.UK checker tells you

GOV.UK's Check your State Pension age tool gives you three dates in one go:

1. When you'll reach State Pension age.
2. Your Pension Credit qualifying age.
3. When you'll be eligible for free bus travel.

Two things are worth knowing before you rely on the answer. First, your State Pension age may be different to the age you can get a workplace or personal pension. Second, GOV.UK says the State Pension age is regularly reviewed, so the results of the tool may change in the future, and it points you to the launch of the latest review if you want the detail.

There's no forced retirement age any more

Reaching State Pension age doesn't mean you have to stop. GOV.UK says you can keep working after you reach it, and that the 'default retirement age' (a forced retirement age of 65) no longer exists. Your State Pension age is about when you can start receiving the pension, not when you have to leave work.

That opens real options if you'd like to keep earning on your own terms. These freelance writing jobs for retirees and these passive income ideas for the UK are two places to start.

Who gets the new State Pension

You'll be able to claim the new State Pension when you reach State Pension age if you're a man born on or after 6 April 1951, or a woman born on or after 6 April 1953. If you were born before those dates, these rules don't apply: you'll get the basic State Pension instead, and you may also get Additional State Pension.

How the new State Pension amount is worked out

Rule	What GOV.UK says
Full rate	241 pounds 30 a week
Minimum to get any new State Pension	10 qualifying years on your National Insurance record
For the full rate, record started after April of 2016	35 qualifying years
For the full rate, if you were contracted out	Usually more than 35 qualifying years
Paid into the Additional State Pension before 2016	You may get a protected payment on top of the full rate
Yearly increase	The highest of earnings growth, price growth (CPI) or 2.5%
Protected payment increase	In line with the CPI each year

A qualifying year is one in which you were working and paid National Insurance contributions, got National Insurance credits (for example if you were unemployed, ill, or a parent or carer), or paid voluntary National Insurance contributions. While you were contracted out, you or your employer paid more into your workplace or private pension and less into your State Pension, which is why contracted-out years usually mean you need more than 35 to reach the full rate.

The yearly rise follows three measures

GOV.UK says the new State Pension increases each year by whichever is the highest of three measures: earnings, which is the average percentage growth in wages in Great Britain; prices, which is the percentage growth in prices in the UK measured by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI); or 2.5%. A protected payment works differently and rises each year in line with the CPI.

Four steps GOV.UK suggests around retirement

1. Check when you can retire: your State Pension age, whether you can retire early on a workplace or personal pension, and your State Pension forecast.
2. Increase your pension: you might get more if you delay your State Pension, and you might be able to pay voluntary contributions to fill gaps in your National Insurance record.
3. Check what other financial support you could get if you're on a low income, need help with rent or heating, are claiming benefits in cold weather, or are disabled, and apply for a bus pass.
4. Decide when to retire, with advice on planning your pension.

For workplace or private pensions, GOV.UK's advice is to speak to a financial adviser. If you've built up a defined contribution pot, this piece on the outlook for defined contribution pensions adds useful background.

If you live abroad or have a spouse's record to consider

You can claim State Pension abroad if you've paid enough National Insurance contributions to qualify, but how much you'll get might be affected if you retire or move abroad. Your new State Pension is usually based on your own National Insurance record, though in some cases you might inherit State Pension or increase it through a spouse or civil partner.

My advice on State Pension age

Run GOV.UK's Check your State Pension age tool and your State Pension forecast together, today, and write both answers down. The age tells you when; the forecast tells you how much and shows your National Insurance record. If the forecast is under the full rate, look at the gaps while you still have time to fill them with voluntary contributions.

Frequently asked questions

How do I check my State Pension age?

Use GOV.UK's Check your State Pension age tool. It shows when you'll reach State Pension age, your Pension Credit qualifying age and when you'll be eligible for free bus travel.

Is the State Pension age changing?

GOV.UK says the State Pension age is regularly reviewed, so the results of its checker may change in the future. It links to the launch of the latest review.

Must I stop working at State Pension age?

No. You can keep working after you reach State Pension age, and the default retirement age of 65 no longer exists.

How much is the full new State Pension?

The full rate of new State Pension is 241 pounds 30 a week, as of Nov 2026. Your amount depends on your National Insurance record.

How many qualifying years do I need?

You need 10 qualifying years to get any new State Pension. If your record started after April of 2016, you need 35 for the full rate; if you were contracted out, usually more than 35.

Who gets the new State Pension?

Men born on or after 6 April 1951 and women born on or after 6 April 1953. If you were born before those dates, you get the basic State Pension instead.