NI and the State Pension

Key facts

You need 35 qualifying years of NI contributions or credits for the full new State Pension.
You need a minimum of 10 qualifying years to get any State Pension at all.
The full new State Pension is £241.30 per week (2026/27) — approximately £12,548 per year.
You can check your NI record and State Pension forecast for free on GOV.UK.

How NI Builds Your State Pension

The new State Pension (introduced in April 2016) is based entirely on your National Insurance record. The more qualifying years you have, the higher your State Pension will be — up to a maximum of 35 years.^[1]

Qualifying Years	State Pension Entitlement
35 years	Full new State Pension: £241.30/week (£12,548/year)
10–34 years	Proportional amount (e.g. 20 years = 20/35 of full pension)
Below 10 years	No State Pension entitlement

What Is a Qualifying Year?

A qualifying year is a tax year (6 April to 5 April) in which you have sufficient NI contributions or credits on your record. You can get a qualifying year by:^[3]

Working as an employee and earning above the Lower Earnings Limit (£129/week in 2026/27) — even if your earnings are below the Primary Threshold and no NI is actually deducted
Being self-employed and paying Class 2 NI contributions
Paying voluntary contributions (Class 2 or Class 3)
Receiving NI credits (see below)

Important: Class 4 NI (on self-employment profits) does not count towards qualifying years. Only Class 1 (employee), Class 2 (self-employed flat rate), and Class 3 (voluntary) build State Pension entitlement.

NI Credits That Count

You may receive NI credits automatically in certain circumstances, which count as if you had paid contributions:^[3]

Child Benefit — if you claim Child Benefit for a child under 12, you receive NI credits for each year
Carer’s Allowance or Carer’s Credit — if you care for someone at least 20 hours per week
Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) — credits for periods of unemployment
Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) — credits during illness or disability
Universal Credit — credits may apply depending on your circumstances

When Can You Claim?

The 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 (although this timeline may be brought forward).^[1]

You can check your own State Pension age at gov.uk/state-pension-age.

Checking Your State Pension Forecast

You can check your State Pension forecast online to see:^[2]

How much State Pension you are currently on track to receive
How many qualifying years you have
Whether you have any gaps in your NI record
When you will reach State Pension age

Visit gov.uk/check-state-pension to view your forecast. You will need a Government Gateway account.

Gaps in Your NI Record

Gaps occur in tax years where you did not earn enough, were not paying NI, and did not receive any NI credits. Common reasons include:

Time spent abroad without paying voluntary NI
Periods of low earnings below the Lower Earnings Limit
Self-employment with profits below the Small Profits Threshold (and not paying voluntary Class 2)
Career breaks not covered by NI credits

Filling Gaps with Voluntary Contributions

If you have gaps in your NI record, you can pay voluntary contributions to fill them:^[4]

Option	Cost (2026/27)	Who Can Use It
Voluntary Class 2	£3.65/week (£190/year)	Self-employed with profits below SPT
Voluntary Class 3	£18.40/week (£957/year)	Anyone with gaps in their record

Tip: Before paying voluntary contributions, check whether the extra years would actually increase your State Pension. If you already have (or will have) 35 qualifying years by the time you reach State Pension age, additional contributions will not increase your pension further.

Time Limits for Voluntary Contributions

You can normally only pay voluntary NI contributions for the previous 6 tax years. For example, in 2025/26 you can pay for years going back to 2019/20.^[4]

How Your State Pension Is Calculated

For the new State Pension, the calculation is straightforward:^[1]

You get 1/35th of the full State Pension for each qualifying year
The full rate is £241.30 per week (2026/27)
So each qualifying year is worth approximately £6.89 per week (£358 per year)
You need a minimum of 10 qualifying years to receive anything

Transitional arrangements: If you have NI contributions or credits from before April 2016, your State Pension may include a “starting amount” based on the old rules. Your actual pension may be higher or lower than 1/35th per year depending on your pre-2016 record.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many years of NI do I need for a full State Pension?

You need 35 qualifying years of National Insurance contributions or credits to receive the full new State Pension. If you have between 10 and 35 years, you will receive a proportional amount. Fewer than 10 qualifying years means no State Pension entitlement.

What counts as a qualifying year?

A qualifying year is a tax year in which you paid or were credited with enough NI contributions. For employees, this means earning above the Lower Earnings Limit for at least part of the year. For the self-employed, paying Class 2 NI counts. You may also receive NI credits (e.g. when claiming certain benefits or caring for a child under 12).

Can I buy extra years to increase my State Pension?

Yes. You can pay voluntary Class 3 contributions (£18.40 per week in 2026/27) to fill gaps in your NI record. You can normally go back up to 6 years. Check your NI record first to see if buying additional years would actually increase your pension — it may not be worth it if you already have 35 qualifying years.

Do I get a State Pension if I have never worked?

You may still qualify if you have received NI credits — for example, from claiming Child Benefit for a child under 12, or receiving certain benefits like Jobseeker’s Allowance or Universal Credit. You need at least 10 qualifying years from a combination of contributions and credits.

Sources

The new State Pension — GOV.UK
Check your State Pension forecast — GOV.UK
National Insurance and the State Pension — GOV.UK
Voluntary National Insurance contributions — GOV.UK
Check your National Insurance record — GOV.UK