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UK State Pension age and forecast reader
Born on 20 September 1975, you reach UK State Pension age on 20 September 2042, at 67; anyone born on or after 6 April 1978 waits until 68. If your forecast says £180.00 a week today, each further qualifying year adds about £6.89: 9 more years reach the full £241.30.
The forecast shows the amount your record would give today, then what you could get by State Pension age.
Your State Pension age
Born 6 March 1961 to 5 April 1977: State Pension age 67.
- You are 9 qualifying years short of the full £241.30 a week; each year adds about £6.89 a week.
- With 6 more years you would reach £221.37 a week.
- Filling 3 gap years would raise it to £241.30: each costs £956.80 at the 2026-27 Class 3 rate and adds about £358.50 a year, paid back in under 3 years of pension.
This shows what the published rules give for the figures you enter, under current law. It is general information, not advice, and it cannot see your National Insurance record. Your gov.uk forecast and the Pension Service decide what you get.
Reading your forecast, line by line
- The amount today. What your National Insurance record would pay if you stopped adding years now. For records before April 2016, it starts from your “starting amount”: the higher of the old and new rules on your record at 6 April 2016, after a deduction if you were contracted out.
- What you could get. The amount at State Pension age if you keep adding qualifying years. Each year adds 1/35 of the full rate, about £6.89 a week, until the full £241.30.
- Protected payment. If your starting amount was above the full rate, the excess is paid on top, and more years do not change it.
- How to increase it. You can pay voluntary contributions for the past 6 years. Your record shows which years are gaps.
What people get wrong
- Paying for a year that adds nothing. If the years you will work anyway take you to the full rate, a voluntary year is wasted. Check the forecast first.
- Assuming 35 years always means the full rate. With contracted-out years before 2016 you usually need more.
- Treating the age as fixed. These are the dates under current law; a future review could change them.
Frequently asked questions
When can I get my UK State Pension?
Under current law: 66 if you were born before 6 April 1960; 66 and 1 to 11 months if born 6 April 1960 to 5 March 1961; 67 if born 6 March 1961 to 5 April 1977; a fixed date between 6 May 2044 and 6 March 2046 if born 6 April 1977 to 5 April 1978; and 68 if born on or after 6 April 1978. The government is reviewing the age again; the review has not reported.
What does my State Pension forecast mean?
It shows how much you could get at State Pension age, when, and whether you can increase it. If your amount is under the full £241.30 a week, each extra qualifying year adds about £6.89 a week (the full rate divided by 35) until you reach the full rate.
Why is my forecast below the full rate after 35 years?
Most often because you were contracted out before April 2016: gov.uk says people with a record before 2016 who were contracted out usually need more than 35 qualifying years. Your starting amount had a deduction for those years, and later years make it up.
Is it worth paying to fill a gap?
Only if your forecast shows you are below the full rate and you will not reach it by working. At the 2026-27 Class 3 rate a full year costs £956.80 and adds about £358.50 a year of pension, so it pays back in under three years of pension.
Related
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Cite or link to this calculator
DecisionsCalc (2026). UK State Pension Age Calculator and Forecast Reader: Your Exact Date and What Your Forecast Means. https://decisionscalc.com/tools/uk-state-pension-age-and-forecast/
You are welcome to quote our figures with a link. Each figure on the page names its official source and the date we checked it.
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