Basic State Pension rate
There are different rates of State Pension. The rate you get depends on your circumstances.
Getting the basic State Pension
You can claim the basic State Pension if you're:
- a man born before 6 April 1951
- a woman born before 6 April 1953
If you were born later, you’ll need to claim the new State Pension instead.
You will have already claimed your basic State Pension unless you delayed (deferred) your State Pension.
Basic State Pension rate
To get the basic State Pension you must have paid or been credited with National Insurance contributions. The most you can currently get is £176.45 per week.
Qualifying for a basic State Pension
Basic State Pension is based on the number of qualifying years you achieve during your working life.
To find out more about qualifying for the basic State Pension, go to the link below:
Annual increases in the basic State Pension rate
The basic State Pension increases every year by whichever is the highest of the following:
- earnings - the average percentage growth in wages (in Great Britain)
- prices - the percentage growth in prices in the UK as measured by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI)
- 2.5 per cent
Additional State Pension rate
The additional State Pension is sometimes also known as SERPS or the State Second Pension (S2P).
Not everyone receives an additional State Pension. The amount you get depends on your circumstances.
For more information, go to the following page:
Over 80 Pension rate
The Over 80 Pension is a State Pension for people aged 80 years or over.
To be eligible you must get either a basic State Pension of less than £105.70 a week, or no basic State Pension at all.
It can give you £105.70 a week in the 2025 to 2026 tax year. For more information go to the link below:
SMS messages
When claiming the basic State Pension you may receive text messages (SMS) from the Department for Communities (DfC). They will always be clearly marked as DfC and will never ask you to give, or click a link to give, personal information or financial details by message or email.
If you’re concerned or unsure about any text messages (SMS) you receive from about the basic State Pension you should contact Northern Ireland Pension Centre directly.
If you suspect you have received a fraudulent message as a scam, contact Northern Ireland Pension Centre immediately.
- Further information is available at: scamwiseni