State Pension Age Calculator UK 2026 — When Can I Claim & How Much Will I Get?
The State Pension age is currently 66 for both men and women. It is rising to 67 between 2026–2028 and further increases to 68 are under review. Use this calculator to find your State Pension age, estimate your weekly pension, and see how NI gaps could affect your amount.
New State Pension 2026/27: £221.20/week (£11,502/year). Requires 35 qualifying NI years for full amount; 10 years minimum to receive any pension. Contracted-out deductions may apply. Always check your personal forecast at gov.uk/check-state-pension.
State Pension Rates 2026/27
| Pension type | Weekly rate | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Full new State Pension (post-2016) | £221.20 | £11,502.40 |
| Full basic State Pension (pre-2016) | £169.50 | £8,814.00 |
| Minimum to receive any pension | 10 qualifying NI years | |
| Years needed for full new pension | 35 qualifying NI years | |
State Pension Age Timetable
| Date of birth | State Pension age |
|---|---|
| Before 6 Dec 1953 (women) / 6 Dec 1953 (men) | 60 (women) / 65 (men) — old rules |
| Up to 5 April 1960 | 66 |
| 6 April 1960 – 5 April 1977 | 66–67 (transitional — rising) |
| 6 April 1977 – 5 April 1978 | 67 |
| After 5 April 1978 | 67 (or 68 — under review) |
Filling Gaps in Your NI Record
You can pay voluntary Class 3 National Insurance contributions to fill gaps in your NI record and increase your State Pension. The current rate is £17.45 per week (£907.40 per year) for 2026/27. Given the State Pension pays £221.20/week, filling one year of NI gaps typically costs around £907 but adds approximately £6.32/week (£328/year) to your pension — paying back in under 3 years. Gaps from 2006–2018 could be filled at a reduced rate until April 2025 — this deadline has now passed.
How to Check Your State Pension Forecast
Before paying to fill any gaps, check your State Pension forecast through the gov.uk "Check your State Pension" service, which shows your current forecast amount, how many qualifying years you already have, and exactly which past years show as gaps. This is essential because not every gap is worth filling — the forecast tool will show you how much extra pension each additional qualifying year would actually add, and if you're already on track for the full new State Pension amount through your existing record (or will reach it through years you have left before State Pension age), paying voluntarily for extra years beyond that point won't increase your pension any further, since there's a maximum weekly amount the new State Pension can pay regardless of how many qualifying years you accumulate beyond the required 35.
The Different State Pension Age Rules by Birth Date
State Pension age isn't a single fixed number — it depends entirely on your date of birth, and has been rising in stages over the past decade and a half. Women born before April 1950 had a State Pension age of 60, which was gradually equalised with men's at 65 between 2010 and 2018, then increased further to 66 for both men and women by October 2020. It's currently scheduled to rise to 67 between 2026 and 2028, and a further rise to 68 is legislated to happen sometime between 2044 and 2046, though this has been the subject of ongoing government review and could be brought forward. Because these changes affect people differently depending on exactly when they were born, it's worth checking your specific State Pension age individually using the calculator above rather than relying on a general age like "66" or "67," particularly if you were born close to one of the transition periods.