UK Government to make getting full State Pension simpler with changes | UK | News

The UK Government unveiled plans to enhance an online service, aiming to help more people receive full State Pension payments upon retirement. The full new State Pension is currently valued at £230.25 per week, equating to approximately £11,973 over the 2025/26 financial year.

Payment rates are tied to National Insurance Contributions (NICs), with a minimum of 10 years’ worth required to qualify for any State Pension payment and roughly 35 years for the full rate. However, this could be higher if you were ‘contracted out’ – comprehensive details on this can be found on GOV.UK, here.

The Check Your State Pension forecast service aids those wishing to make voluntary National Insurance contributions to fill gaps in their National Insurance record, and Treasury Minister James Murray has confirmed that changes will enhance the service.

In a written statement to Parliament, he recently detailed a series of new simplified measures and updated guidance for the self-employed, those paying the High Income Child Benefit Charge, and anyone who wishes to maximise their State Pension by purchasing voluntary National Insurance Contributions.

“The government also intends to further enhance the Check Your State Pension forecast service, which supports people who want to pay voluntary National Insurance contributions to fill gaps in their National Insurance record,” the statement from April 28 reads.

“These measures build on the government’s announcement at Spring Statement 2025 that from Summer 2025, employed individuals who become liable to the High Income Child Benefit Charge (HICBC) will be able to opt to pay HICBC directly through PAYE, without the need to register for Self Assessment.”

The State Pension age is scheduled to increase from 66 to 67 for both men and women between 2026 and 2028, with a further rise to 68 expected to be phased in between 2044 and 2046, reports the Daily Record.

This implies that people born between March 6, 1961, and April 5, 1977, will be eligible to claim their State Pension as soon as they turn 67.

A recent study by Just Group indicates a concerning trend: more than a third of retirees failed to check their State Pension forecast before retiring, despite the fact that for 1.2 million households the State Pension is the main source of income in retirement.

The research, which polled over 1,000 people who were retired or nearing retirement age, found that a staggering 38% hadn’t looked at their pension forecast. This figure rose to 40% for those between the ages of 55 and 64 who had not yet hit the State Pension age, and an alarming 46% among early retirees.

Of those who did review their future State Pension income, around 17% discovered it would be at least £250 less annually than anticipated. Conversely, 9% were pleasantly surprised to find their pension would exceed expectations by a similar amount.

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