Your State Pension depends on how many years of National Insurance contributions are on your record. This guide explains how to calculate your qualifying years, what they’re worth, and whether filling gaps makes financial sense.
For the full PocketWise guide to State Pension entitlement, see the State Pension Hub.
How qualifying years work
Each tax year that you pay sufficient National Insurance contributions (or receive NI credits) counts as one qualifying year. The new State Pension, which applies to people reaching State Pension age on or after 6 April 2016, works as follows:
| NI qualifying years | State Pension entitlement | Weekly amount (2026/27) |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer than 10 | None | £0 |
| 10 | Minimum (10/35) | £65.79 |
| 15 | 15/35 | £98.68 |
| 20 | 20/35 | £131.57 |
| 25 | 25/35 | £164.46 |
| 30 | 30/35 | £197.36 |
| 35 or more | Full pension | £230.25 |
The full new State Pension in 2026/27 is £230.25 per week (£11,973 per year). The triple lock guarantee means it rises each year by the highest of inflation (CPI), average earnings growth, or 2.5%.
State Pension age is currently 66 for both men and women. It is scheduled to rise to 67 between 2026 and 2028, and to 68 between 2044 and 2046 (though this timetable may change).
What counts as a qualifying year
Paying NI contributions
You build qualifying years by paying National Insurance through:
- Class 1: Employees paying NIC from employment earnings (if you earn above the lower earnings limit of £6,396 in 2026/27)
- Class 2: Self-employed individuals with profits above the small profits threshold (£6,845 in 2026/27) — charged at £3.45/week
- Class 3: Voluntary contributions to fill gaps (£824.20 per year in 2026/27)
- Class 3A: (Expired) — one-time scheme for those reaching State Pension age before April 2016
NI credits (without paying contributions)
NI credits are automatically added to your record when:
| Situation | Credit type |
|---|---|
| Registered for Child Benefit for a child under 12 | Automatic — always register even if you don’t take the payment |
| Claiming Statutory Sick Pay | Automatic |
| Claiming Statutory Maternity/Paternity Pay | Automatic |
| Claiming Jobseeker’s Allowance | Automatic |
| Claiming Universal Credit | Automatic (if looking for work) |
| Claiming Employment and Support Allowance | Automatic |
| Carer’s Allowance | Automatic |
| On jury service | Automatic |
Grandparents and other adults: If you care for a grandchild under 12 while the parent is working, you may be able to transfer their Child Benefit NI credit to your record under the Specified Adult Childcare credits scheme. Apply to HMRC using form CA9176.
How to check your NI record
- Go to gov.uk/check-state-pension and sign in to your Personal Tax Account (or create a Government Gateway account)
- View your NI record — it shows years marked as “full”, “not full”, or gaps
- Check whether you can pay voluntary contributions for each gap year
- See your State Pension forecast based on your current record
Your forecast shows:
- What you’ll get if you stop contributing today
- What you’ll get if you contribute every remaining year until State Pension age
Is it worth buying missing years?
The maths
Cost of Class 3 in 2026/27: £824.20 per year
State Pension boost per year purchased: £230.25 ÷ 35 = £6.58 per week (£342.14 per year)
Break-even point: £824.20 ÷ £342.14 = 2.4 years of receiving the State Pension
If you live more than 2.4 years beyond State Pension age (virtually certain for most people), buying a missing year pays off.
Worked example
Sarah has 30 qualifying years. She reaches State Pension age in two years and will receive:
- 30/35 × £230.25 = £197.36 per week (£10,263/year)
- With 5 missing years, she’s losing £32.89/week (£1,710/year)
To buy all 5 missing years: 5 × £824.20 = £4,121
Annual gain: £1,710
Break-even: 2.4 years
If Sarah lives 20 years in retirement, the gain is: £1,710 × 20 − £4,121 = £29,979 profit
When buying years may not help
- You already have 35+ qualifying years — additional years add nothing (the pension is capped at the full rate)
- You have a guaranteed defined benefit pension from contracted-out employment and your State Pension forecast is already adjusted to reflect this (the starting amount may already be protected)
- You expect to continue working and will reach 35 years through future contributions before State Pension age without buying any gaps
Year-by-year decision: which gaps to fill first
When deciding which years to fill, consider:
- Fill the most recent years first — your most recent gaps may be fillable at the current rate; older gaps may no longer be fillable under standard rules
- Target years where you got close — if a year shows as “not full” because you were slightly below the lower earnings limit, the shortfall to fill may be very small
- Don’t pay for years you’ll fill anyway — if you’re still working and will naturally contribute for several more years, you may already reach 35 without buying gaps
Call the National Insurance helpline (0300 200 3500) to confirm which gaps are open and what each costs before making payments.
State Pension for people with pre-2016 records
The new State Pension applies only to those who reached State Pension age on or after 6 April 2016. If you reached State Pension age before that date, you receive the old basic State Pension (£169.50/week maximum in 2026/27) plus any Additional State Pension (SERPS/S2P) you built up.
For people who reached State Pension age after April 2016 but have NI contributions from before that date, a “starting amount” was calculated comparing the new and old rules — the higher figure became the starting point. This is why some people have more or fewer than 35 qualifying years needed.