The State Pension is a regular payment from the government most people can claim when they reach State Pension age. Not everyone gets the same amount. How much you get depends on your National Insurance record. For many people, the State Pension is only part of their retirement income.
The amount of State Pension you get depends on your National Insurance record. Your National Insurance record includes National Insurance contributions that you pay when you are working and contributions that are credited to you when you are unable to work.
You need 30 years of National Insurance Contributions or credits to be eligible for the full basic State Pension. This means you were either: working and paying National Insurance.
Some people can get more than that.
Under the previous state pension rules, workers were able to build up what's known as the additional state pension (also called the second state pension, S2P, or SERPS) – a top-up to the former basic state pension.
You usually need a total of 30 qualifying years of National Insurance contributions or credits to get the full basic State Pension. If you have fewer than 30 qualifying years, your basic State Pension will be less than £141.85 per week.
You can still delay taking your State Pension in the new system just like in the old scheme. You will get about 5.8% increase in your State Pension for every year you defer compared to the previous system which stood at 10.4%. The new State Pension, however, does not allow you take the deferred amount as a lump sum.
There isn't a savings limit for Pension Credit. However, if you have over £10,000 in savings, this will affect how much you receive.
The full new State Pension is £185.15 per week. The only reasons you can get more than the full State Pension are if: you have over a certain amount of Additional State Pension.
In short, yes. People are able to claim the State Pension in more than one country. If you live or work in another country, you might be able to contribute towards the country's State Pension scheme.
You may be able to get a basic State Pension or increase your basic State Pension using your spouse or civil partner's national insurance contributions. This could be up to a maximum of £85.00 a week. The maximum additional pension (own and inherited) is £185.90 a week in the tax year 2022/23.
You might not get a full State Pension if you contracted out
Normally, you need to have paid 35 years of National Insurance contributions to qualify for the full new State Pension. However. Back in the day many workplaces offered pension schemes that allowed you to 'contract out' of the State Pension.
To get Basic State Pension, you need to have paid enough national insurance contributions or received enough national insurance credits. If you haven't paid enough national insurance contributions yourself, you may still have some entitlement.
If they have 35 years or more of NI contributions (or credits) they will get the full flat rate pension. If they have fewer years, their pension will be reduced pro rata (so 34 years gives you 34/35 of the full rate and so on) and if they have under 10 years they will get nothing.
Many married women are entitled to a basic state pension at 60 per cent of the full rate because of their husband's record of National Insurance (NI) Contributions in circumstances where their own record of NI Contributions would provide a lower pension.
Many people may have never worked before they reach State Pension age. Those who have a reason for never having worked such as being disabled or suffering a condition which means you cannot work are still eligible for State Pension. Those who do not have such a reason may be ineligible for State Pension.
You may inherit part of or all of your partner's extra State Pension or lump sum if: they died while they were deferring their State Pension (before claiming) or they had started claiming it after deferring. they reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016. you were married or in the civil partnership when they died.
People can get more than the flat rate (in your friend's case, a lot more) if they had substantial rights under the old system which are protected under the new one.
You'll get any State Pension based on your husband, wife or civil partner's National Insurance contribution when you claim your own pension. You will not get it if you remarry or form a new civil partnership before you reach State Pension age.
There has been a 3.1% increase in the full new state pension in 2022/23. How much you will receive is based on your national insurance record when you reach state pension age. You will only get the full amount if you have a minimum 35 full qualifying years of contributions.
Your State Pension is based on your National Insurance contribution history and is separate from any of your private pensions. Any money in, or taken from, your pension pot may affect your entitlement to some benefits.
Women's State Pension age
It changed to 65 for women between 2010 and 2018. It is now increasing in stages, alongside men, until it has reached 68. It's important to check when you are due to reach your State Pension age as this might change in the future.
If you're married, and both you and your partner have built up state pension, you'll get double this amount in 2022-23 – so £283.70 a week, up from £275.20 a week in 2021-22. But if your partner hasn't built up their own state pension, they'll still be able to claim a state pension based on your record.
It comes down to the amount of savings you already have, plus all sorts of asset types combined. For example, if you are a single homeowner you can get a full pension with an asset limit of $270,500. As a couple with a home and combined assets your limit is reached at $405,000 to receive a full pension.
If you have £10,000 or less in savings and investments this will not affect your Pension Credit. If you have more than £10,000, every £500 over £10,000 counts as £1 income a week. For example, if you have £11,000 in savings, this counts as £2 income a week.