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UK State Pension FAQ
- Old/Basic State Pension: For men born before 6 April 1951 and women before 6 April 1953. Max is around £176.45/week (2025 figure).
- New State Pension: For those born after those dates. Requires up to 35 qualifying years, maxing at £230.25/week from April 2025.
It depends on your National Insurance (NI) record.
- You need a minimum of 10 Qualifying Years to get anything.
- With a maximum of 35 Qualifying Years, you get the full State Pension.
- Otherwise, you’ll receive a proportional amount eg. 20 Qualifying Years = 20/35ths
Bottom Line: Less years = less pension
- A year in which you paid or were credited enough NI.
- 35 years needed for the full new pension.
- 30 years for the full basic pension.
Yes. You can:
- Pay voluntary NI contributions for up to 6 years back (sometimes more under special rules).
- Get NI credits if you claimed certain UK benefits (e.g. Child Benefit).
- Defer your pension – it increases by ~1% for every 9 weeks you delay.
Yes:
- As long as you’ve got 10+ qualifying NI years, you can claim it.
- Contact us or the International Pension Centre to plan next steps.
- It’s paid into your overseas bank in local currency.
Yes, but tax depends on where you live and where your pension is paid to, but generally speaking, tax depends on the UK’s tax treaty with your country. You might owe tax there or here – sometimes both, sometimes neither.
- Currently 66 for both men and women.
- Rising to 67 by April 2028, and eventually 68 between 2044–2046 (subject to change).
- New State Pension: £230.25/week (£11,976/year).
- Basic State Pension: £176.45/week (max).
- Old pension rules: Yes. She may be able to claim up to 60% of your basic pension (Category B).
- New pension rules: No. Each person qualifies based on their own NI record.