How to check your State Pension age in the UK

What is the State Pension age and how do you check it?

Your State Pension age is the earliest age at which you can start receiving the State Pension. GOV.UK notes that it may differ from the age at which you can access a workplace or personal pension. You can check your age for free using the official online tool at gov.uk/state-pension-age by selecting the "Start now" link.

What does the online tool tell you?

The GOV.UK checker answers three questions at once:

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• when you will reach your State Pension age;
• your Pension Credit qualifying age;
• when you will be eligible for free bus travel.

Importantly, GOV.UK warns that the State Pension age is regularly reviewed, so the results of the tool may change in the future. It is worth checking early and again before you retire, so you can plan your income and avoid counting on the pension too soon.

Note that your Pension Credit qualifying age and your free bus travel age are separate figures that the tool shows alongside your State Pension age. They do not necessarily match your State Pension age, so it is useful to see all three dates together.

Who gets the new State Pension?

The new State Pension applies to men born on or after 6 April 1951 and women born on or after 6 April 1953. People born before those dates get the basic State Pension instead.

How many years do you need and how much is paid?

To get any new State Pension at all, you need at least 10 qualifying years on your National Insurance record. For the full rate — 241.30 pounds a week — you usually need 35 qualifying years if your record started after April 2016. If it started earlier and you were contracted out, you may need more than 35 years. Your exact amount is shown by the State Pension forecast on GOV.UK.

Can you work after reaching State Pension age?

Yes. GOV.UK confirms that you can keep working after you reach your State Pension age — the compulsory "default retirement age" of 65 no longer exists. That means retiring at a set age is not automatic, and the decision is yours.

What if you do not have enough qualifying years?

If your National Insurance record has fewer than 10 qualifying years, you may get no new State Pension at all, and with between 10 and 35 years you will get a reduced amount. GOV.UK advises checking your National Insurance record first to see any gaps. Remember that your State Pension age and the amount you will get are two different things: the tool shows when you can start receiving the pension, while the State Pension forecast shows how much you will actually be paid.

ONLYWAY NEWS notes that this is a reference guide, not personal advice. Check the exact dates and amounts in your own forecast on GOV.UK.