What will your UK State Pension be?
Type your National Insurance qualifying years and see your forecast weekly, monthly and annual pension, plus the cost of filling any gaps.
Gap to the full pension
Each extra qualifying year adds about £6.58 per week of pension (£342 per year). Voluntary Class 3 contributions of about £907 typically pay for themselves in 2 years 8 months of receiving the pension.
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What you might calculate next
How it works
35 years for the full pension
You need 35 qualifying years of National Insurance to get the full new State Pension (currently £230.25/week). The minimum to qualify at all is 10 years.
How a "qualifying year" works
A year counts if you paid enough Class 1 NI (employees), Class 2 (self-employed), or got NI credits (Universal Credit, Child Benefit for a child under 12, Carer's Allowance, certain illnesses). Even part-pay years can count if total earnings hit the lower threshold.
Filling gaps with Class 3
Voluntary Class 3 NIC costs about £907 per missing year (at the 2024/25 rate of £17.45/week). Each filled year adds ~£342/year of pension — break-even after roughly 2 years and 8 months of receipt. Usually a no-brainer if you have under 35 years.
Deadlines for filling gaps
Normally you can only fill the last 6 tax years. A special extension allowed filling back to 2006 for men born after 5 April 1951 and women born after 5 April 1953 — that window closed on 5 April 2025. Check your gaps urgently if uncertain.
Where to check officially
gov.uk/check-state-pension shows your forecast and a year-by-year NI record. You'll need a Government Gateway login. Always rely on that for actual figures; this tool is for planning.
Triple Lock
The State Pension rises each April by the highest of: CPI, average earnings growth, or 2.5%. The 2025/26 increase was 4.1% (driven by earnings).