How to Check Your State Pension Forecast UK 2026 (And What to Do If It's Too Low)

Step-by-step: checking your State Pension forecast

Checking your State Pension forecast takes about five minutes if you have an HMRC One Login account. If you do not, setting one up takes 10–15 minutes and requires a form of photo ID.

Step 1: Go to gov.uk and search for 'Check your State Pension forecast' or visit directly at: www.gov.uk/check-state-pension

Step 2: Sign in with HMRC One Login (or your Government Gateway user ID if you have not yet migrated). HMRC is migrating all users to One Login. If you use Self Assessment, you likely already have a Government Gateway account.

Step 3: View your forecast. The service shows:

• Your current State Pension entitlement based on NI years accrued to date
• Your projected State Pension at State Pension age if you continue paying NI at the current rate
• The number of qualifying years you have
• A list of gap years (years with no or insufficient NI contributions) and the cost to fill each one
• Your State Pension date — when you can claim

Step 4: Check for gaps. The forecast lists each tax year and whether it counts as qualifying. A gap year may have occurred due to time abroad, self-employment without NI payments, caring responsibilities without claiming credits, or periods of unemployment without signing on.

Step 5: If gaps exist, the tool tells you the cost of filling each one and gives you a link to the payment service.

What the full State Pension currently pays

The new State Pension (for those who reached State Pension age on or after 6 April 2016) is based entirely on your National Insurance record under the post-2016 rules.

2026/27 rates (from April 2026):

The triple lock guarantees the State Pension rises each April by the highest of:

• Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation in the year to September
• Average earnings growth (May to July)
• 2.5%

For April 2026, the triple lock applied at 4.1% (earnings growth), raising the weekly pension from £221.20 to £230.25.

How qualifying years work

A qualifying year is a tax year in which you paid (or were credited with) sufficient National Insurance contributions:

• Employed: You automatically get credits if you earn above the lower earnings limit (£6,500 in 2026/27) and pay Class 1 employee NI.
• Self-employed: You pay Class 4 NI on profits and receive credits. Those with profits below the Small Profits Threshold (£6,725) do not automatically get credits — but can pay voluntary Class 2 NI (currently £3.45/week) to protect entitlement.
• Credited (free): NI credits are given without payment for those receiving Child Benefit (for children under 12), Carer's Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance, Universal Credit, and some other benefits.
• Voluntary (Class 3): You can pay to fill gaps — see below.

Transitional period note: Many people who had National Insurance rights under the old basic State Pension (pre-2016 rules) were given a starting amount when the new system launched. If your old-system entitlement was higher than the new-system calculation, your starting amount is protected.

How to fill gap years: voluntary NI contributions

If your forecast shows fewer than 35 qualifying years, you can pay voluntary Class 3 NI contributions to fill gaps.

Cost in 2026/27: £17.45 per week = £907.40 per full gap year

Benefit: Each year bought adds 1/35 of the full pension per week = £6.58/week = £342/year to your State Pension for life.

Break-even calculation: £907.40 ÷ £342/year = 2.65 years. After drawing the State Pension for approximately 2 years and 8 months, you have recouped the cost. Every subsequent week of pension represents pure gain.

Given average life expectancy at 66 in the UK is approximately 17–20 years (men: 17 years, women: 20 years), buying a gap year typically generates a return of 6–8× the investment over a lifetime. This is one of the best-value financial decisions available to most people.

Worked example: David, 55, needs to fill 7 gap years

David is 55 and has been self-employed for much of his career. He checks his State Pension forecast and finds:

• Qualifying years to date: 28 out of the 35 needed for the full pension
• Projected years by State Pension age (age 67): 32 qualifying years (if he continues working)
• Gap years that can be filled: 7 years from the last 6 years plus some older ones
• Current estimated pension: 28/35 × £230.25 = £184.20/week (£9,578/year)
• Projected pension (if no action): 32/35 × £230.25 = £210.51/week (£10,946/year)
• Full pension: £230.25/week (£11,973/year)

Option 1: Pay nothing, rely on ongoing contributions David gets 32 qualifying years by State Pension age — 3 short of full pension. He would receive 91.4% of the full pension = £210.51/week.

Option 2: Fill all 7 gaps Cost: 7 × £907.40 = £6,351.80 (some older gap years may cost less if assessed at historical rates — check each individually).

Additional weekly pension: 7 × £6.58 = £46.06/week — but wait, he only needed 3 more years for full pension, not 7.

Option 3: Fill exactly 3 gaps to reach full pension Cost: 3 × £907.40 = £2,722.20 Additional annual pension: 3 × £342 = £1,026/year Break-even: £2,722.20 ÷ £1,026 = 2.65 years

David's decision: He fills 3 gap years at a cost of £2,722. From age 67, he receives the full State Pension of £11,973/year rather than £10,946/year — an extra £1,027/year. He breaks even at age 69.7. Given he expects to live well into his 80s, this is a straightforward decision to fill the gaps.

NI credits: free qualifying years you may be missing

Many people unknowingly miss out on free NI credits. Check whether you are owed credits for:

Child Benefit credits: If you have or had children under 12 and someone in your household claimed Child Benefit, the main claimant received NI credits. Crucially, if you opted out of receiving Child Benefit payments (due to the High Income Child Benefit Charge) but did not claim the credits separately, you may have lost years. You can reclaim these credits back to 2013.

Carer's credits: If you care for someone for 20+ hours/week who receives certain disability benefits, you may qualify for Carer's Credit (free NI credits) if you do not already receive Carer's Allowance.

Specified Adult Childcare credits: Grandparents or other family members who look after a child under 12 while the parent works may transfer the parent's NI credit to themselves. Apply via HMRC.

State Pension age: when can you claim?

Your State Pension age depends on your date of birth:

The rise from 66 to 67 is being phased between 2026 and 2028. The government has also legislated a further rise to 68 by 2046, though this may be brought forward.

You cannot claim the State Pension before your State Pension age — unlike private pensions, there is no early access option.

Deferring your State Pension

If you reach State Pension age and do not need the income immediately (perhaps because you are still working), you can defer claiming. Your pension grows during the deferral period.

Rate of increase: 1% for every 9 weeks of deferral = approximately 5.8% per year.

Example: Full pension of £230.25/week. Defer for 2 years (104 weeks):

• Weeks × 1/9 = 104/9 = 11.56% increase
• New weekly pension: £230.25 × 111.56% = £256.88/week (£13,357/year)
• Increase: £26.63/week = £1,385/year extra for life

Deferral makes sense if:

• You are still working and paying income tax, so the State Pension would be fully taxed anyway
• You are in good health and expect to live well above average life expectancy
• You want a higher guaranteed income in later life when other assets may be depleted

It does not make sense to defer if you are on means-tested benefits — deferring does not increase your entitlement under Universal Credit or Pension Credit.

The State Pension and income tax

The State Pension counts as taxable income but is paid gross (without PAYE tax deducted). If you also have a workplace pension or other income, HMRC adjusts your tax code to collect tax on the State Pension through the other income stream.

If the State Pension is your only income, and it is below the Personal Allowance (£12,570 in 2026/27), you pay no tax. At £11,973/year, the full State Pension is currently below the Personal Allowance — but a partial pension plus workplace pension often takes total income above the tax-free threshold.

Sources

• gov.uk: Check your State Pension
• gov.uk: State Pension rates
• gov.uk: Voluntary National Insurance
• gov.uk: Defer your State Pension
• HMRC: National Insurance credits
• Future Pension Centre: 0800 731 0181