How much is the State Pension in 2026/27?
The full new State Pension is £241.30 a week in 2026/27. The full basic State Pension is £184.90 a week. It applies to people who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016. What you get depends on your National Insurance record. The first table shows each full rate by the week, over four weeks and over a year of 52 weeks. The second shows what you get with fewer qualifying years.
| State Pension | A week | 4 weeks | 52 weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| New State Pension | £241.30 | £965.20 | £12,547.60 |
| Basic State Pension (Category A or B) | £184.90 | £739.60 | £9,614.80 |
Source: www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-and-pension-rates-2026-to-2027/proposed-benefit-and-pension-rates-2026-to-2027, checked 23 September 2026
How much you get for each qualifying year
A qualifying year is a tax year that counts towards your State Pension because you paid National Insurance or got National Insurance credits. If your record began on or after 6 April 2016, each qualifying year adds about £6.89 a week. You usually need at least 10 qualifying years to get any new State Pension, and 35 for the full rate. Years in some other countries, and special rules for married women who paid reduced-rate National Insurance, can help you reach 10.
| Qualifying years | A week | A month | A year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | £68.94 | £298.74 | £3,584.88 |
| 15 | £103.41 | £448.11 | £5,377.32 |
| 20 | £137.89 | £597.52 | £7,170.28 |
| 25 | £172.36 | £746.89 | £8,962.72 |
| 30 | £206.83 | £896.26 | £10,755.16 |
| 35 | £241.30 | £1,045.63 | £12,547.60 |
Source: www.gov.uk/new-state-pension/what-youll-get, checked 12 October 2026; www.gov.uk/new-state-pension/eligibility, checked 12 October 2026; www.gov.uk/guidance/rates-and-thresholds-for-employers-2026-to-2027, checked 22 September 2026
These examples divide the full rate by 35, multiply by the qualifying years shown and round the weekly amount to the nearest penny. The monthly figures are averages: the weekly amount times 52, divided by 12. The new State Pension is usually paid every four weeks. If you have qualifying years before 6 April 2016, the Department for Work and Pensions compares what you would get under the old and new rules and uses the higher figure as your starting amount, so your figure can differ. Your GOV.UK State Pension forecast shows your own amount.
In 2026/27, 52 weeks of the full new State Pension come to £12,547.60. That is £22.40 below the standard Personal Allowance of £12,570. If this is your only income and you have that allowance, no Income Tax is due.
Which State Pension applies
The basic State Pension belongs to the older rules, and everyone who qualifies for it has already reached State Pension age. Anyone still below that age will be on the new State Pension. The two schemes pay different full amounts, so the table has a row for each.
Both rows show full rates. What a person actually receives depends on their National Insurance record, as the table above shows. Some people were contracted out under the old rules: they built up pension rights in a workplace or personal pension instead of the Additional State Pension. They usually need more qualifying years than other people to reach the full new State Pension. Someone whose starting amount under the rules from 6 April 2016 was higher than the full rate gets the difference on top, as a protected payment.
How the amount rises each year
The basic and new State Pension rates rise each year by the highest of three measures: average earnings growth in Great Britain, UK price inflation measured by the Consumer Prices Index, or 2.5%. The rule is called the triple lock. A protected payment on top of the new State Pension rises with the Consumer Prices Index alone. If you put off claiming either State Pension, your weekly amount can go up. People over State Pension age on a low income can check Pension Credit, which tops up weekly income, and those who need care can check Attendance Allowance.
Payments and tax
The rate is set per week, but the new State Pension is usually paid every four weeks, which is why the table shows a four-week figure. The day of the week it arrives depends on the last two digits of the National Insurance number.
The State Pension counts as taxable income, although no tax comes off the payment itself. A person who also has a workplace or personal pension usually pays the tax due on the State Pension through that pension. If your only income is the State Pension and you owe tax, HMRC sends a tax bill called a Simple Assessment. After your first year of receiving the pension, tax is based on 52 weeks of payments each year. The pension take-home calculator adds the State Pension to other pension income and works out the income tax, and the income tax rates page lists the bands that tax comes from.
Questions
Does everyone get the full State Pension?
No. The full rate needs enough qualifying years on the National Insurance record. With fewer years the amount is lower, and with fewer than the minimum there is usually no new State Pension at all. GOV.UK has a State Pension forecast service that shows a person's own figure.
Is the State Pension paid weekly?
The amount is set as a weekly rate, but the new State Pension is usually paid every four weeks. The first payment arrives no later than five weeks after the start date the person chose when they claimed.
Can someone get more than the full rate?
Yes, in some cases. Someone whose starting amount under the rules from 6 April 2016 was higher than the full new State Pension gets the difference as a protected payment. On the basic State Pension, Additional State Pension and a delayed claim can both raise the amount.
How much State Pension does a couple get?
There is no joint State Pension. Each person gets their own, based on their own National Insurance record, so a couple where both have a full record gets twice the full rate. In some cases a person can inherit or increase their State Pension through a spouse or civil partner. GOV.UK explains the rules for each case.
This is information, not financial advice.