The full new State Pension in the UK is £221.20 in 2024. Find out its eligibility, rates, and how it differs from the old State Pension.
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The UK State Pension is a regular payment from the UK government to people who reach the State Pension age (66 years in 2024) and meet other criteria.
How much State Pension do you get?
That depends on whether you’re eligible for the new or the old State Pension.
Let’s explore the finer nuances of the UK State Pension, starting with those two pension systems.
You could be eligible for pension under the new or old rule based on when you reach the State Pension age.
The State Pension age is the minimum age (66 years as of 2024) at which you can claim the State Pension in the UK. It could differ from when your workplace or personal pension plan kicks in.
Let’s check out the new UK State Pension and the old one in detail:
People who reach the State Pension age on or after 6th April 2016 get paid under the new State Pension rules.
It depends on your gender, birth year, and your National Insurance records.
The old State Pension applies to people who reached the UK State Pension age before the 6th of April 2016.
Under the old rules, the pension comprises of:
These are linked to the qualifying years you achieve during your employment years.
A National Insurance qualifying year is a tax year (April to April) during which you did one OR more of the following:
It depends on your birth year, gender, and NI contributions.
Your eligibility for the State Pension depends on whether you reached the State Pension age before or after the Gender Recognition Act 2004 came into effect.
If you were born between 24th December 1919 and 3rd April 1945 AND have proof of a gender reassignment surgery done before 4th April 2005, you could claim equal treatment rights.
If you satisfy equal treatment conditions, you can request an ‘expression of interest’ form from the Pension Service for a backdated State Pension.
If you’re receiving the basic State Pension and have reached the State Pension age before April 6, 2016, you will also be eligible for the Additional State Pension.
Let’s understand this in more detail.
The Additional State Pension is an extra amount you could get on top of your basic State Pension.
You’re eligible for the Additional State Pension if:
Remember: You won’t be eligible for the Additional State Pension if you reach the State Pension age on or after April 6, 2016. Instead, you’ll get the new State Pension.
Contracting-out was a facility (it ended on 6 April 2016) that allowed people to opt out of the Additional State Pension and make lower National Insurance contributions in the UK. They could instead use the saved amount towards a workplace, personal, or stakeholder pension scheme.
This increase is due to the UK's triple-lock State Pension guarantee, which saw the State Pension rise by 8.5%, from £10,600.20 per year in December 2023 to £11,501.22 in April 2024.
Let’s understand the math behind the new and old State Pension systems.
From April 6, 2024, the full new State Pension in the UK is available at a rate of £221.20 per week (for 35 qualifying years of NI contributions).
However, after April 6 2024, the new State Pension payment will be made at a maximum weekly rate of £221.20 per week.
If you have between 10 to 34 years of contributions, you’ll get a fraction of the full amount proportional to the number of qualifying years (similar to the basic State Pension).
Contributions above 35 years won’t add to the maximum new State Pension amount.
The new State Pension calculation might not be as straightforward if you’ve accrued NI contributions or credits from the pre-2016 system.
The first step is to arrive at the Starting Amount for your new State Pension, which is done by considering your pre-2016 contributions. The Starting Amount is the higher of:
This Starting Amount will affect your new State Pension amount as follows:
The government increases the State Pension entitlement annually to ensure it doesn’t lose its value due to inflation. It considers the highest of the three separate measures of inflation (‘triple lock’) — average earnings (in Great Britain), cost of living (Consumer Price Index), and flat 2.5% rise — to set the increase.
Under the old rule, you can get the maximum basic State Pension of £169.50 per week in 2024 (for 30 qualifying years).
If you have less than 30 years of contributions, you’ll get a fraction of the full amount based on the number of years of NI contributions.
For example:
In 2024, if you have 12 qualifying years at the time of claim, you’re entitled to £67.8 per week — 12/30th of the full amount (£169.50).
Unless you benefit from a contracted-out scheme, your National Insurance contribution also gives you rights to the Additional State Pension.
However, this extra State Pension amount isn’t fixed and depends on your qualifying years, earnings, and whether you’ve topped up your pension with schemes like State Second Pension.
Pensioners can get an amount higher than the full State Pension under three scenarios:
If your pension amount is less than the full rate due to gaps in your National Insurance record, you can make voluntary contributions or claim NI credits to build up the amount.
Still confused about your pension amount?
Use the State Pension Forecast online service at www.gov.uk/check-state-pension or contact the government’s Future Pension Centre at:
Remember: You won't start getting the State Pension automatically once you reach the State Pension age. You have to apply for it.
You can apply for the State Pension four months before reaching the State Pension age.
However, the regular payment will start only when you reach the State Pension age.
You’ll typically receive an invitation letter from the Pension Service at least two months before you reach the State Pension age. It’ll contain an invitation code (needed when applying for the State Pension online) and other details about the claim process.
What if you apply after reaching the State Pension age?
You can request backdating of your State Pension for a maximum period of up to 12 months. But you’ll not get any interest on the backdated lump sum pension amount.
If you backdate your pension claim for more than 12 months after you reach the legal pension age, you’ll be considered to have ‘deferred’ your pension (which could affect your pay rates).
Here are the different ways you can apply for the UK State Pension:
Contact the Northern Ireland Pension Centre to get the application form if you're applying from Northern Ireland.
Do you live abroad?
Contact the International Pension Centre or fill out the international claim form at www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-claiming-a-state-pension-if-you-retire-abroad.
In the application form, you’ll need to provide your personal details, such as:
Your State Pension (plus any Additional State Pension) is paid every four weeks directly to either:
The day your pension is paid depends on your National Insurance number.
If you’re not eligible for the State Pension, you can still claim other social protection benefits for older people.
Some alternatives to the State Pension in the UK are:
We’ll tackle some common questions about the State Pension in the United Kingdom:
The current State Pension age of 66 years (for both genders) is set to rise to 67 by 2028 and then to 68 by 2039.
The UK Pensions Act 2014 legislates periodic review of the State Pension Age, considering several factors like changes in life expectancy.
Note: As mentioned earlier, transgender people are eligible for State Pension as per their acquired gender under the new Pension rule.
You can keep working past the retirement age and claim the UK State Pension without age restrictions. That’s because the retirement age limit of 65 no longer applies.
The bad news?
To qualify for the full new State Pension, you need a minimum of 35 years of National Insurance contributions acquired through employment, self-employment, or voluntary contributions.
However, if you’ve never worked or have never been employed, there are specific situations where you may still be eligible for certain State Pension benefits.
These situations include claiming the State Pension as a:
Pensioners can defer receiving the State Pension for a higher weekly payment OR a one-off lump sum.
The amount of increase and the minimum time limit for deferring varies for old and new pension systems.
You can claim the State Pension abroad if you’ve paid enough National Insurance contributions to qualify.
But you’ll get the yearly pension increases only if you live in a country that is part of the European Economic Area (EEA) or have a social security agreement with the UK, like Iceland and Canada.
If you’ve previously worked (or have retired) in another country, you may claim that country’s State Pension in addition to the UK State Pension.
You may be able to inherit some of your deceased partner's State Pension or protected payment. The amount will depend on their National Insurance contribution and the starting date of your marriage or partnership.
In April, benefits connected to inflation and Tax Credits will undergo an increase to align with the September 2023 Consumer Prices Index (CPI) figure of 6.7%, as confirmed by the Office for National Statistics.
The benefits that typically rise with inflation include:
In a 2023 study by the King’s College, London, participants found the UK State Pension inadequate for a comfortable retirement.
They’ll have to supplement it with other income, like a workplace pension.
According to UK law, all employers must provide a workplace pension scheme to boost their employees' retirement income by automatically enrolling eligible employees.
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Article written by
Trevor Gardiner QFA, RPA, APA in Insurance. With 23 years of experience in Financial Services, I have a strong passion for Health Insurance and Pensions.
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