State Pension Age & Amount: 6-Country Comparison (2026)
The public pension is the floor under every retirement plan — it sets how much your own savings actually need to generate. But when you can claim it, how much you get, and whether delaying pays vary a lot between countries. Here's how the state pension compares across the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Ireland and Switzerland.
How to read this: amounts are in each country's local currency and are not exchange-rate adjusted; most are maximum/full rates that depend on your contribution record. These are typical illustrative figures from public sources, not individually verified or financial advice.
Claiming age & full amount at a glance
| Country | Standard age | Typical full amount | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 United States | 67 (full) | ~$1,907/mo at full retirement age | Earnings record (Social Security) |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 66 → 67–68 | ~£221/wk (~£11,500/yr) | 35 qualifying NI years |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | 65 (CPP + OAS) | CPP up to ~$1,365/mo + OAS ~$713/mo | Contributions (CPP) + residency (OAS) |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | 67 | ~$1,144/fortnight (single, full) | Means-tested (income + assets) |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | 66 | ~€277.30/wk | PRSI record (Contributory) |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 65 (AHV) | up to ~CHF 2,520/mo (single, max) | Contribution years |
Most people get less than the maximum. The figures above are full/maximum rates — your actual amount depends on your contribution record (UK NI years, Irish PRSI, CPP/AHV contributions) or, in Australia, on the income and assets test. Check your own forecast: it's the single most useful number in retirement planning.
Delaying pays — usually a lot
Almost every system rewards waiting, and the increase is permanent and inflation-linked — often a better "return" than you'd get safely anywhere else:
| Country | Can take early? | Deferral bonus |
|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 United States | From 62 (reduced ~30%) | +~24% by waiting 67 → 70 |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | No (can't take early) | +~5.8%/yr deferred |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | CPP from 60 (−36%) | CPP +42% / OAS +36% by 70 |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | No (Age Pension at 67) | Super accessible from 60 to bridge |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | From 66 | Higher rate if deferred to 70 (since 2024) |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | From 63 (reduced) | Increased if deferred to 70 |
The married-couple move (US/UK/Canada): where one partner earned more, delaying the higher earner's pension protects the survivor's income for life — when one spouse dies, the survivor generally keeps the larger benefit. Delaying the top earner is often worth far more than claiming early.
What this means for your own plan
- Check your forecast first — the UK State Pension forecast, Canada's CPP/OAS statements, Ireland's PRSI record, your US SSA statement, or your Swiss AHV account. Plan around your real number, not the headline maximum.
- Fill gaps where it's cheap — buying voluntary UK NI years is one of the best-value moves in personal finance; check the equivalent in your country.
- Bridge to the claiming age — if you want to stop work earlier, you'll need accessible savings (ISA, TFSA, super, taxable investments) to cover the years before the pension starts.
- Treat it as the floor, not the plan — every figure here is below a comfortable retirement on its own; it reduces how much your own savings must generate, not replaces them.
See how the state pension changes your number
Our FIRE / retirement calculator capitalises your public pension against your target — see how many years of saving it removes.
Open the Retirement Calculator →For the full later-life picture — care costs, health coverage and claiming strategy — see the Later Life guide, localised for all six countries.
↪ Part of our 6-country cost comparisons — see how every big financial decision compares across these six markets.
Sources
- US — Social Security Administration (benefit amounts, claiming ages)
- UK — gov.uk / DWP (new State Pension, deferral, NI)
- Canada — Service Canada (CPP, OAS)
- Australia — Services Australia (Age Pension)
- Ireland — Department of Social Protection (State Pension Contributory)
- Switzerland — federal social insurance (AHV)
Figures as of June 2026 (2024–25 rates), in local currency and not exchange-rate adjusted; full/maximum rates depend on your contribution record. Compiled from public official sources; general information, not individually verified or personalised advice. See our disclaimer.