Question 1

How much state pension will I get?

Accepted Answer

Your state pension depends on your National Insurance qualifying years. For 2026/27, the full new state pension is £12,548 per year (£241.30 per week) and requires 35 qualifying years. If you have between 10 and 35 years, your pension is proportional — each qualifying year is worth approximately £359 per year. If you have fewer than 10 qualifying years, you will not receive any new state pension.

Question 2

How many qualifying years do I need for the full new State Pension?

Accepted Answer

If your National Insurance record started after April 2016, you usually need 35 qualifying years to receive the full new State Pension of £12,548 per year (2026/27). You need at least 10 qualifying years to receive any new State Pension at all. If you paid National Insurance before April 2016, transitional rules and contracting out mean your gov.uk forecast is the authority.

Question 3

Why does gov.uk say I need more or less than 35 years?

Accepted Answer

The 35-year rule is the simple rule for people whose National Insurance record started after April 2016. If you had National Insurance years before 6 April 2016, DWP calculates a starting amount under transitional rules. Contracted-out history, protected amounts and post-2016 qualifying years can mean your personal gov.uk forecast shows more or fewer years than the headline 35-year rule.

Question 4

Can I top up missing NI years?

Accepted Answer

Yes. If you have gaps in your National Insurance record, you can fill them by paying voluntary Class 3 contributions. For 2026/27, this costs £956.80 per missing year. Each year you buy adds approximately £359 per year to your state pension for life — a payback period of under three years. There are time limits on how far back you can buy, so check with HMRC or use the gov.uk state pension forecast to see which years you can fill.

Question 5

What if I was contracted out?

Accepted Answer

If your employer's pension scheme was contracted out of the additional state pension (SERPS or S2P) before April 2016, a deduction is applied to your new state pension. This reflects the additional pension you were building up in your workplace scheme instead. The deduction varies by individual — typically £20 to £50 or more per week — and can only be calculated by HMRC using your personal records. Use the gov.uk state pension forecast tool for your exact figure.

How much state pension will you actually get?

State pension forecast: what to check