New UK Government plans to make getting maximum State Pension payments simpler
The State Pension age is set to rise from 66 to 67 between 2026 and 2028.
Income tax rises for Scots in April - how the changes affect you
The UK Government has announced new plans to improve an online service to help more people receive full State Pension payments in retirement. The full new State Pension is now worth £230.25 per week, some £11,973 over the 2025/26 financial year.
Payment rates are linked to National Insurance Contributions (NICs), you need at least 10 years' worth to qualify for any State Pension payment and around 35 years' for the full rate. However, this may be more if you were 'contracted out' - full details on this can be found on GOV.UK here.
The Check Your State Pension forecast service supports people who want to pay voluntary National Insurance contributions to fill gaps in their National Insurance record and Treasury Minister James Murray has confirmed changes will improve the service.
In a written statement to Parliament, he outlined a series of new simplified measures and updated guidance for the self-employed, those paying the High Income Child Benefit Charge and people who want to maximise their State Pension by purchasing voluntary National Insurance Contributions.
The State Pension age is set to rise from 66 to 67 for men and women between 2026 and 2028, with a further rise to 68 set to be phased in between 2044 and 2046.
This means people born between March 6, 1961 and April 5, 1977 will be able to claim their State Pension as soon as they turn 67.
Research from retirement specialist Just Group suggests more than a third of retirees did not check their State Pension forecast before they retired despite 1.2 million households relying on the State Pension as their primary source of income in retirement.
The survey of more than 1,000 retired and semi-retired people aged over 55 found four in ten (38%) had not checked their forecast, rising to 40 per cent among those who had not yet reached State Pension Age (55-64 year olds) and 46 per cent for those who claimed to have retired earlier than they had expected.
Among the two-thirds of retirees who checked their forecasted State Pension income, nearly a fifth (17%) said it was - at a minimum - £250 less per year than they were expecting. On the other hand, one-in-ten (9%) retirees said it was at least £250 more per year than they were expecting.
Commenting on the findings, Stephen Lowe, group communications director at Just Group, said: 'It's easy to see why people may assume they'll simply get the full State Pension, but for many people this won't be the case. The last thing these households need when they come to retire is the nasty surprise that their State Pension is less than they thought.
'The government offers a State Pension forecast service and we urge anyone approaching retirement to use it - ideally in advance of beginning to retire. It will tell you if you are likely to receive less State Pension than you thought and that will give you the opportunity to take steps to increase what you will actually receive.'
You can check your State Pension forecast online at GOV.UK here.
State Pension payments 2025/26
Full New State Pension
Weekly payment: £230.25
Four-weekly payment: £921
Annual amount: £11,973
Full Basic State Pension
Weekly payment: £176.45
Four-weekly payment: £705.80
Annual amount: £9,175
Future State Pension increases
The Labour Government has pledged to honour the Triple Lock or the duration of its term and the latest predictions show the following projected annual increases:
2025/26 - 4.1%, the forecast was 4%
2026/27 - 2.5%
2027/28 - 2.5%
2028/29 - 2.5%
2029/30 - 2.5%
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