State Pension amount 2026/27
The UK has two State Pensions, and date of birth decides which one a person gets. The table below gives the full weekly rate of each for 2026/27, then the same rate over four weeks and over a year of fifty-two weeks.
| 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
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. The new State Pension needs at least ten qualifying years before anything is paid, and thirty-five for the full rate when the whole record falls after the new scheme began. People who were contracted out under the old rules usually need more than thirty-five years. Someone who built up Additional State Pension under the old rules can receive more than the full rate through an extra amount called a protected payment.
How the amount rises each year
Both State Pensions go up each year by whichever is highest of three measures: growth in average wages in Great Britain, price inflation measured by the Consumer Prices Index, and a fixed minimum percentage. The rule is called the triple lock. A protected payment on top of the new State Pension rises with the Consumer Prices Index alone. On the basic State Pension, a person who delays their claim gets a higher weekly amount.
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. Where the State Pension is the only income and tax is due, HMRC sends a Simple Assessment bill, based on fifty-two weeks of payments a year after the first 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 ten there is 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. A protected payment is added to the new State Pension for people who built up Additional State Pension before the new scheme began. On the basic State Pension, Additional State Pension and a delayed claim can both raise the amount.
This is information, not financial advice.