The basic State Pension is a regular payment from the government that you can get when you reach State Pension age.

To get it you must have paid or been credited with National Insurance contributions.

The most you can currently get is £113.10 per week.

The basic State Pension increases every year by whichever is the highest:

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

The maximum you can get is £113.10 per week.

You may have to pay tax on your basic State Pension.

Topping up

You can top up your State Pension to £67.80 per week if:

• you expect your basic State Pension will be less than that
• you’re married or in a civil partnership
• you meet the qualifying rules

Use the State Pension calculator to get a quick estimate or apply for a detailed State Pension statement.

You might also qualify for the Additional State Pension or, if you're on a low income, Pension Credit.

How it’s paid

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

Your first payment is made at the end of the first full week after you reach State Pension age.  It won’t include the time between reaching State Pension age and your normal payment day if that’s less than 1 week.

Example

You reach State Pension age on Monday 16 December 2013 and your first payday is a Friday.

The first full week ending on a Friday after the Monday you reached State Pension age is Saturday 21 December to Friday 27 December.

You won’t be paid between 16 December and 21 December because this is less than 1 week.

The basic State Pension is usually paid every 4 weeks into an account of your choice. You’re paid ‘in arrears’, ie you’re paid for the last 4 weeks, not for the coming 4 weeks.

There are different rules if you live abroad.

The earliest you can get the basic State Pension is when you reach State Pension age.

Your basic State Pension depends on the number of years you’ve paid National Insurance or got National Insurance credits, eg while unemployed or claiming certain benefits.

To qualify for a basic State Pension at least 1 of the following must apply:

• you were working and paying National Insurance
• you were getting certain benefits, eg for unemployment, sickness
• you were a parent or carer and claiming certain benefits or credits
• you have a spouse or civil partner whose National Insurance contributions cover you
• you were paying voluntary National Insurance contributions

You need 30 years worth of contributions or credits to get the full basic State Pension. These are your 'qualifying years'.

If you have fewer than 30 years, your State Pension will be less than £113.10 per week but you might be able to top up by paying voluntary National Insurance contributions.

Use the State Pension calculator to find out how many qualifying years you already have and what your State Pension would be now.

You're working

When you're working you pay National Insurance and get qualifying years if:

• you're employed and earning over £5,772
• you're self-employed and paying National Insurance contributions

You're not working

In some circumstances the government will give you 'National Insurance credits' that count towards your basic State Pension.

Since April 2010 - you get credits if any of the following apply:

• you care for a child under 12
• you care for someone sick or disabled
• you are a registered foster carer
• you get Carer's Allowance

Before April 2010 - you got credits under Home Responsibilities Protection if any of the following applied:

• you claimed Child Benefit for a child under 16
• you cared for someone sick or disabled
• you worked as a registered carer

You also got credits if you were on Carer's Allowance or you might get Specified Adult Childcare credits.

Married or in a civil partnership

If you’re not eligible for a basic State Pension or not getting the full amount, you might be able to qualify or ‘top up’ to £67.80 through your spouse’s or civil partner’s National Insurance contributions if:

• you have both reached State Pension age
• your spouse or civil partner qualifies for some basic State Pension (even if they haven’t claimed it)
• your wife or civil partner was born after 6 April 1950 (married men and civil partners only)

You do this through claiming your State Pension.

You can no longer get the Adult Dependency Increase for someone who is looking after children or financially dependent on you. If you got it on or before 5 April 2010 you'll keep it until 5 April 2020 provided you're eligible until then.

You don't qualify for a State Pension

If you’re not covered by any of these groups but want a State Pension you might be able to pay voluntary National Insurance contributions.

Men born before 1945 and women born before 1950

You need more qualifying years to get a full State Pension and a certain minimum number of years to get any State Pension at all.

Transsexual people

Your State Pension might be affected if you’re transsexual and you:

• were born between 24 December 1919 and 3 April 1945
• were claiming State Pension before 4 April 2005
• can provide evidence that your gender reassignment surgery took place before 4 April 2005

Find out more and contact the GR Team.

You don't need to do anything if you legally changed your gender and started claiming State Pension on or after 4 April - you'll already be claiming based on your legally-recognised gender.

You won't get your State Pension automatically - you have to claim it. You should get a letter 4 months before you reach State Pension age, telling you what to do.

If you haven’t got a letter 3 months before your State Pension age, phone the claim line. They’ll discuss with you what you need to do.

There are 4 ways to claim:

• online State Pension claims
• over the phone
• download the State Pension claim form and send it to your local pension centre
• claim from abroad including the Channel Islands

State Pension claim line

Telephone: 0800 731 7898
Textphone: 0800 731 7339
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm (except public holidays)
Find out about call charges

How to claim is different if you claim from Northern Ireland.

You want to keep working

You can claim your State Pension even if you carry on working. However, you have the option to defer which can increase the amount you get.

Your circumstances change

You must tell the Pension Service if anything in your circumstances changes, eg if you:

• move home
• go into or come out of hospital
• move abroad or return to the UK
• go into a care home
• change your bank account
• marry or form a civil partnership
• get divorced or have your civil partnership dissolved
• are widowed or your civil partner dies

What happens to your State Pension when you die

If your spouse or civil partner is over State Pension age when you die, they should contact the Pension Service to check what they can claim. They may be able to increase their basic State Pension by using your qualifying years if they don’t already get the full amount.

If they are under State Pension age when you die any State Pension based on your qualifying years will be included when they claim their own State Pension. For this to happen they can’t have remarried or formed a new civil partnership by the time they reach State Pension age.

You’re single or divorced

If you're single, divorced or your civil partnership was dissolved and you die after you've reached State Pension age, your estate can claim up to 3 months of your basic State Pension. They can only do this if you hadn’t claimed it.

Extra money from deferring your State Pension

If you decided to defer your State Pension and built up an extra amount, your spouse or civil partner may either claim the extra State Pension or get a lump sum.

If you deferred for less than 12 months your spouse or civil partner can only get extra State Pension, not a lump sum.

If you deferred for 12 months or more they can choose to get extra State Pension or a lump sum payment. Provided they haven’t remarried or formed a new civil partnership since your death they can get this when they reach State Pension age.