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Qualifying for a State Pension

On 6 April 2010, the way you qualify for a State Pension changed:

• to get a full basic State Pension, you only need 30 qualifying years of National Insurance contributions (in the past, men normally needed 44 years and women 39 years)
• a single qualifying year will entitle you to at least some basic State Pension
• it is easier for parents and carers to build up qualifying years and get a State Pension
  

If you're over 55, or if you care for someone, you should find out how the changes may affect you.

Changes to the State Pension age

The State Pension age is increasing. To find out more see ‘Calculating your State Pension age’.

• Calculating your State Pension age

What the changes mean to you

What this means to you depends on your circumstances. Some of the most important examples are on this page.

If you are a parent or carer

If you reach State Pension age on or after 6 April 2010 you may be able to build up entitlement to the State Pension. You may be eligible for these new National Insurance (NI) credits if you are:

• a parent with a dependent child under 12 years of age 
• an approved foster carer 
• caring for one or more sick or disabled people for 20 hours a week or more

Any periods of Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) you may have prior to 6 April 2010 should have been converted into years of National Insurance credits. This is up to a maximum of 22 years.

• State Pensions for parents

• Caring and your pension (caring for someone section)

• Getting credits towards your State Pension

• Home Responsibilities Protection (money, tax and benefits section)

If you are married or a civil partner

Previously, some married women could get an increased basic State Pension based on their husband's National Insurance contributions record. From May 2010, this gradually started to apply to married men and civil partners as well.

You may be able to claim an increase even if your spouse or civil partner has not claimed his/her own basic State Pension. This is provided you have both reached State Pension age.

• Changes to State Pension for married people and civil partners

If there is an adult who depends on you financially

It's no longer possible to get a new increase of your State Pension for another adult - an 'Adult Dependency Increase'. This was an increase in your State Pension for a wife, husband or someone who was:

• looking after your children
• considered to be financially dependent on you

If you already received this increase on 5 April 2010, you will be able to keep it until 5 April 2020. Or when you no longer meet the conditions for the increase, whichever is first.

• Find your pension centre

• Claiming the State Pension

• Calculate your State Pension age

Benefit payment changes that start from April 2010

The changes also affect the payment of State Pensions. If you reach State Pension age on or after 6 April 2010 you'll be paid in arrears on a day linked to your NI number. This means you will be paid at the end of your pay week, not from the start. Your payday is the day you normally receive your payment (sometimes called your ‘pay week-ending day’).

National Insurance number

Your National Insurance number (NINO) is the number you get when you first start work or claim a benefit. It is normally shown on the letters The Pension Service sends you.

The Pension Service uses the last two numbers of your NINO to work out your new pay week-ending day. This is shown in the following table.

Last two numbers of National Insurance number	Pay week-ending day
00 to 19	Monday
20 to 39	Tuesday
40 to 59	Wednesday
60 to 79	Thursday
80 to 99	Friday

For example, if your National Insurance number is QQ 12 34 56 A, your pay week-ending day will be Wednesday.

If you already received the State Pension or reached State Pension age before 6 April 2010

If this applies to you, changes to the State Pension will not affect you very much.

However one change that will affect you is that from April 2011 the basic State Pension increases every year by whichever is the highest of:

• the growth in average earnings
• the growth in prices
• 2.5 per cent

For 2011-12 the basic State Pension will be increased by the Retail Prices Index for September 2010.

This does not apply to the additions to State Pension.

If you are over State Pension age and have put off claiming your State Pension

If you are already over State Pension age and have put off claiming your State Pension, you can still get an estimate of your entitlement. This will be based on the date you intend to claim in the future.

You can either:

• Contact The Pension Service if you live in the UK

• Contact the International Caseworker Team if you live outside UK

If you are eligible for Pension Credit

If you’re a pensioner living in Great Britain you may be entitled to Pension Credit. It guarantees people a minimum level of income. It also rewards those aged 65 or over who have made modest savings for their retirement.

The age that you can get Pension Credit is gradually increasing from 60 to 65 in line with women’s State Pension age.

Changes to State Pension age

The State Pension age for both men and women will rise in the future. The government has announced new proposals for increasing State Pension age. From December 2018 the State Pension age for both men and women will start to increase to reach 66 by April 2020. This will mean women’s State Pension age will increase more quickly to 65 between April 2016 and November 2018. Any change to the timetable would need the approval of Parliament.

Changes to the State Pension age are likely to affect the Pension Credit qualifying age.

Useful contacts

• Retirement contacts

• Financial advice and support contacts

• Over 50s contacts