How much State Pension will you actually get, and on what date can you start claiming it? For most people the honest answer is that they do not know, and a guess based on a headline rate is not the same as a personal figure. There is a free official service that gives you the real number, based on your own National Insurance record, and it takes about ten minutes. This guide explains what a State Pension forecast is, what it shows, how to check yours online, by phone or by post, how to read the gaps in your record, and what to do — carefully, and in the right order — before you ever pay to fill one.

What is a State Pension forecast? A State Pension forecast is a free, personal estimate from the government of how much State Pension you could get, based on your own National Insurance record. It is not a general table and it is not a guess. It is worked out from the contributions and credits recorded against your National Insurance number, year by year, under the law as it stands today. Your forecast shows three main things: how much you could get each week, based on your record so far — and in many cases how much you could get if you keep building qualifying years before you reach State Pension age; when you can get it, meaning your personal State Pension age and the exact date you reach it; and your National Insurance record itself, so you can spot any gaps while there may still be time to do something about them. Remember that a forecast is an estimate, not a guarantee. It is based on your record as it stands and on current law, and it does not include future inflation increases, so your final amount may be higher than the figure you see today.

How much is the full State Pension in 2026/27? The full new State Pension is £241.30 a week in 2026/27, which is £12,547.60 a year. That is the system for people who reach State Pension age on or after 6 April 2016. You usually need 35 qualifying years of National Insurance to get the full new amount, and you need at least 10 qualifying years to get any new State Pension at all. The years do not have to be in a row. Between 10 and 35 years you get a proportion: each qualifying year is worth roughly £6.89 a week, so 20 qualifying years gives roughly £137.89 a week and 30 years gives roughly £206.83 a week. If you reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016, you are on the older system. The full basic State Pension is £184.90 a week in 2026/27, and you may also get an additional State Pension on top. If you built up National Insurance before April 2016, your starting amount was worked out under both systems and you get the higher result. That is why some people with long records still see a figure below £241.30 — especially if they were contracted out, which is explained further below. Your forecast is the figure that takes all of this into account, which is why checking your own forecast matters more than any general table.

What counts as a qualifying year? A qualifying year can come from more than paid work. Working as an employee and paying National Insurance counts, as does being self-employed and paying your contributions. But you can also build qualifying years by receiving National Insurance credits — for example, while claiming Child Benefit for a child under 12, while caring for someone, while unemployed and looking for work, or while too ill to work — and by paying voluntary contributions to fill a gap. The credits point is very important. Many people, parents and carers especially, have qualifying years they do not realise they have, and some have years where a credit was never added but should have been. Credits are free, so always check for them first before considering paying anything.

Your State Pension age. State Pension age is currently 66, and it is gradually rising to 67 between April 2026 and 2028, depending on your date of birth. The State Pension age is regularly reviewed, so the date your forecast gives you could change in the future if the law changes. Your forecast shows your personal date under the current rules. Remember, too, that the State Pension is not paid automatically. You will need to claim it when the time comes, from about four months before your State Pension date.

Step 1: go to the official service. Open your web browser and type gov.uk/check-state-pension into the address bar, then press Enter. Or go to GOV.UK and search for check your State Pension forecast. Check the address carefully. The real service is on gov.uk. The check is completely free. If a website asks you to pay to see your forecast, close it — that is not the official service. On a phone or tablet instead, you can also check in the free HMRC app, available from your phone's app store. Sign in once, and your forecast is under the State Pension section.

Step 2: sign in securely. Select Start now on the service page. Sign in with your Government Gateway user ID and password, or with GOV.UK One Login, which uses your email address. You may be sent a code by text message to confirm it is really you. Type the code in when asked. If you do not have sign-in details, follow the on-screen steps to create them. Take your time. You may need to answer questions about your passport, driving licence or other records so the service can confirm your identity. This careful checking protects your personal information, and it is the reason the service cannot simply be looked up by anyone.

Step 3: read your forecast slowly. Your forecast page shows your estimated weekly amount and your State Pension date. Read each part in turn. First, your forecast so far: what you would get based on the qualifying years already on your record. Second, what you could still build: if you keep adding qualifying years, the page may show the most you could reach, and how many more years you need. Third, your State Pension age and date: the exact date you can claim from. If it helps, print the page or write the three key figures down: your forecast amount, your qualifying years so far, and your State Pension date.

Step 4: look at your National Insurance record, year by year. From your forecast, follow the link to view your National Insurance record. Each tax year is listed. Years may be marked as full, or as having a gap, or as a year that is not full. Compare the list with your own memory. Do the working years look right? Are there years at home with young children, or years caring for a relative, that show as gaps? Make a short note of any year that looks wrong or incomplete. The next section explains what to do about each kind, and the order matters.

If you find gaps, work through this order. Do these in order, because the first steps are free and they change what the later steps are worth. First, check for missing credits. If you were a parent registered for Child Benefit, a carer, unemployed or ill during a gap year, you may be entitled to credits for that year that were never added. Ask HMRC or the Future Pension Centre about the year in question. A corrected credit fills the year for free. Second, check whether the record itself is wrong. If you were working and paying National Insurance but the year shows as incomplete, gather any evidence you have — old payslips, a P60 or an employer's letter — and ask HMRC to investigate. Records can be corrected. Third, understand contracting out. Before April 2016, some workplace and personal pensions were contracted out of the additional State Pension. You paid less National Insurance, and your pension scheme was meant to provide that part instead. If this applies to you, your forecast includes a deduction for those years. It is not a mistake, and you should not subtract it twice. The Pension Service can explain your own figure. Fourth, and only then, consider paying voluntary contributions.

Paying voluntary contributions: the careful bit. If a gap year can still be filled, you may be able to pay voluntary Class 3 National Insurance contributions to make it a qualifying year. In 2026/27, Class 3 costs £18.40 a week, which is £956.80 to fill a full year. The cost of an older gap year depends on when you pay and which year it is, so your forecast and the Future Pension Centre will give you the exact figure for each year. You can usually only fill gaps from the last six tax years. Each year has a deadline of 5 April — for example, gaps in the 2020/21 tax year can usually be filled until 5 April 2027. After a year's deadline passes, that year can normally never be filled. The special window that allowed some gaps going back to 2006 has closed; its deadline passed on 5 April 2025. The golden rule is never to pay before you check whether it will actually increase your pension. Paying does not always help. If you already have 35 qualifying years, extra years do not increase the new State Pension. If you are still working and will reach 35 years before State Pension age anyway, filling an old gap may add nothing. If you were contracted out, the picture is more complicated, and a paid year may not raise your amount in the way you expect. Before paying anything, call the Future Pension Centre on 0800 731 0175 and ask one clear question: if I pay for this year, will my State Pension go up, and by how much? Their answer is free, and it is based on your real record. Each extra qualifying year that does count adds roughly £6.89 a week, about £358 a year, for the whole of your retirement, so a year that genuinely helps can be very good value. A year that does not help is money wasted. That is why the phone call matters.

If you cannot, or would rather not, check online. By phone, call the Future Pension Centre on 0800 731 0175, Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm. Textphone: 0800 731 0176. If you cannot hear or speak on the phone, use Relay UK: dial 18001, then 0800 731 0175. From outside the UK, the number is +44 191 218 3600. By post, if you are more than 30 days away from State Pension age, you can request a forecast by post using form BR19, which you can download from GOV.UK or ask the Future Pension Centre to send you. Large print, braille and other formats are available — just ask. If you are already getting your State Pension, or you have deferred it, the online forecast service is not for you. Contact the Pension Service instead, using the details on GOV.UK or on a letter you have already received. Free, impartial guidance is also available from MoneyHelper and, for general help with forms and benefits, your local Citizens Advice. You do not need to pay anyone to do any of this.

Staying safe: forecasts are always free. Only use gov.uk or the official HMRC app, and check the address before you sign in. The government will never phone, text or email you out of the blue offering to check or boost your pension for a fee. Never share your sign-in password or a text-message code with anyone who contacts you. No genuine adviser will ask for them. If a caller pressures you to pay quickly because a deadline is near, put the phone down and call the Future Pension Centre yourself on 0800 731 0175. Real deadlines are 5 April each year, and there is time to check properly.

A calm recap. Your State Pension forecast is free, personal, and takes about ten minutes at gov.uk/check-state-pension or in the HMRC app. The full new State Pension is £241.30 a week in 2026/27, usually needing 35 qualifying years, with at least 10 years needed for anything at all. Read your National Insurance record year by year. Chase missing credits and correct mistakes first — both are free. Voluntary Class 3 contributions cost £18.40 a week in 2026/27 and usually only cover the last six years — and only pay, after asking the Future Pension Centre, if a year will genuinely increase your pension. Knowing your real number takes away a lot of the worry around retirement planning. Ten quiet minutes with your forecast today can save real money and real stress later.