You’ll be able to claim the new State Pension if you’re:

• A man born on or after 6 April 1951
• A woman born on or after 6 April 1953

The earliest you can get the new State Pension is when you reach State Pension age.

If you reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016, you’ll get the State Pension under the old rules instead.

Your National Insurance record

You’ll usually need at least 10 qualifying years on your National Insurance record to get any State Pension. They do not have to be 10 qualifying years in a row.

This means for 10 years at least one or more of the following applied to you:

• You were working and paid National Insurance contributions
• You were getting National Insurance credits for example if you were unemployed, ill or a parent or carer
• You were paying voluntary National Insurance contributions

If you’ve lived or worked abroad you might still be able to get some new State Pension.

You might also qualify if you’ve paid married women’s or widow’s reduced rate contributions.

Working after State Pension age

You do not have to stop working when you reach State Pension age but you’ll no longer have to pay National Insurance. You can also request flexible working arrangements.

How to claim

You will not get your new State Pension automatically – you have to claim it. You should get a letter no later than 2 months before you reach State Pension age, telling you what to do.

If you do not get an invitation letter, you can still make a claim.

• Online
• Over the phone
• By downloading the State Pension claim form and sending it to your local pension center
• From abroad, including the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man

If you want to keep working

You can claim your new State Pension even if you carry on working. However, you have the option to defer which can increase the amount you get.