State Pension Calculator 2025-26

The full new State Pension is £221.20 per week (£11,502.40/year) for 2025/26, uprated annually by the triple lock (highest of earnings growth, CPI inflation, or 2.5%). You need 35 qualifying years of National Insurance contributions to receive the full amount. With fewer than 35 years, you receive a proportional amount: each qualifying year adds 1/35th, so 25 years gives 25/35 x £221.20 = £158.00/week. A minimum of 10 qualifying years is required to receive anything.

Qualifying years are built through employed earnings above the lower earnings limit (£6,396/year for 2025/26), self-employed Class 2 NI contributions, or National Insurance credits (received automatically for Child Benefit recipients, Universal Credit claimants, and carers). You can check your NI record online to see how many qualifying years you have and identify any gaps.

Gaps in your NI record can be filled by paying voluntary Class 3 contributions (£17.45/week for 2025/26). Each additional year purchased adds approximately £6.34/week (£329.68/year) to your State Pension. At the current Class 3 rate, buying one year costs around £907 and pays back within about 2.75 years of receiving the pension — making it one of the best returns available for most people with gaps in their record.