Find out when you can claim your UK State Pension based on your date of birth.
This calculator provides estimates based on current UK state pension age legislation. The government may change state pension ages in the future. Always check gov.uk for the latest information.
The UK State Pension is a regular payment from the government that most people can claim when they reach State Pension age. Your State Pension age depends on when you were born, and the government has been gradually increasing it over recent years. Understanding when you can claim your State Pension is essential for retirement planning, as it affects how much private pension savings you need to bridge the gap between your chosen retirement age and when State Pension payments begin. The State Pension age is currently 66 for both men and women, but this is scheduled to rise to 67 between May 2026 and March 2028, and then to 68 between 2044 and 2046. These increases were introduced by successive governments to reflect increasing life expectancy and to keep the State Pension system financially sustainable. If you were born in the transitional periods, your exact State Pension age may fall between the whole numbers, adding months to the base age on a graduated scale. The full new State Pension for 2026-27 is GBP 221.20 per week, which amounts to approximately GBP 11,502 per year. To receive the full amount, you need 35 qualifying years of National Insurance contributions. If you have between 10 and 35 qualifying years, you will receive a proportionally reduced amount. You can check your personal State Pension forecast on the gov.uk website to see exactly how much you are expected to receive.
Follow these steps to calculate your State Pension age: 1. Enter your year of birth. This is the main factor that determines your State Pension age, as the age at which you can claim is set by government legislation based on birth cohorts. 2. Enter your month of birth. This is particularly important if you were born in a transitional period (around April 1960 to March 1961, or April 1977 to April 1978), as your exact State Pension age may include additional months. 3. Enter your day of birth. This helps calculate the precise date when you will reach State Pension age. 4. View your results. The calculator shows your State Pension age, the exact date you will reach it, and how many years and months remain until that date. It also displays the current full new State Pension amount per week and per year for the 2026-27 tax year. 5. Use the results to plan your retirement finances. If there is a gap between when you want to retire and your State Pension age, you will need private pension savings or other income to cover that period.
The State Pension age is determined by UK legislation, which sets specific ages based on date of birth ranges. The calculation follows a simple lookup table with transitional periods between the main age thresholds. For people born before 6 April 1960, the State Pension age is 66. For those born between 6 April 1960 and 5 March 1961, the age transitions from 66 to 67 on a monthly basis -- each month of birth in this range adds one month to the State Pension age above 66. For people born between 6 March 1961 and 5 April 1977, the State Pension age is 67. For those born between 6 April 1977 and 5 April 1978, the age transitions from 67 to 68 in the same monthly fashion. For anyone born after 5 April 1978, the State Pension age is 68 under current legislation. The State Pension date is calculated by adding the determined age (years and any additional months) to the date of birth. The time remaining until State Pension age is calculated from today's date. The weekly and annual pension amounts shown are based on the full new State Pension rate for 2026-27, which is GBP 221.20 per week (52 weeks per year).
The State Pension age schedule shown here is based on current UK legislation as of the 2026-27 tax year. The government periodically reviews the State Pension age and may bring forward or delay future increases. The most recent review is the 2023 review, which confirmed the rise to 67 but deferred a decision on the rise to 68. Note that the old basic State Pension (pre-April 2016) has different rules. If you reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016, you are on the old system. Women born before 6 April 1953 had a lower State Pension age of 60, which was gradually equalised with men at 65 and then increased to 66 for both sexes. You can defer your State Pension to receive a higher weekly amount. For every 9 weeks you defer, your pension increases by 1%, equivalent to just under 5.8% for a full year of deferral. There is no maximum deferral period. To check your personal State Pension forecast, visit gov.uk and sign in to your Government Gateway account.