Glossary · UK
What is New State Pension?
The State Pension system for people reaching State Pension age on or after 6 April 2016, paying a single flat weekly rate (£241.30 in 2026/27) based on National Insurance qualifying years rather than the old two-tier structure.
Full Definition
The new State Pension replaced the old two-tier system of Basic State Pension plus Additional State Pension (State Second Pension/SERPS) for anyone reaching State Pension age on or after 6 April 2016, paying a single flat weekly rate of GBP 241.30 (2026/27) to those with a full National Insurance contribution record, rather than the previous system's combination of a lower basic amount plus a variable earnings-related top-up. To get the full new State Pension, an individual generally needs 35 qualifying years of National Insurance contributions or credits, with a minimum of 10 qualifying years needed to receive anything at all; each qualifying year below 35 typically reduces the pension by roughly one thirty-fifth of the full rate. Because the new system started partway through people's working lives, everyone's entitlement was calculated at 6 April 2016 using a "starting amount," which is the higher of what they would have received under the old rules or the new rules based on their contribution record up to that date, meaning some people who built up a large Additional State Pension under the old system (through not being contracted out) can still receive more than the new flat rate, protected as a "protected payment." The new State Pension also differs from the old Basic State Pension in that it can no longer be increased by claiming on a spouse's or civil partner's National Insurance record in the way some older claimants could under the pre-2016 rules, reflecting a system designed to reward each individual's own contribution record.