Pensions are an essential tool for most of us to provide for us when we no longer work. Retirement depends on having funds secured during your working life. But how much is the state pension? Moolr took a look.
Pensions Varies
The type a person gets will depend on when they were born. Men with a date of birth before April 6 1951, and women born before April 6 1953, can claim the basic state amount. Those born after this date will follow the new rules the government introduced. This means their state pension will be different in a number of ways.
How Much Is The State Pension? The Figures
The current full basic amount is £179.60 per week. Some people may be able to increase their amount. One way is by deferring their payments. There are other ways to increase what you will receive, such as by making Voluntary National Insurance contributions should you have gaps in your record. The maximum amount available on the new state pension is £168.60 per week.
How Much Is The State Pension? – Amounts Will Increase
One option in order to get a greater payment is to delay the state pension, upon reaching state pension age. What’s more, the UK state pension increases each year under the triple lock guarantee. The annual increase applies to both the basic and new state pension. The rise is whichever is the greatest out of the average percentage growth in wages (in Great Britain), the percentage growth in prices in the UK as measured by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) and 2.5 per cent.
Spouses
If you’re not eligible for a basic State Pension or you’re not getting the full amount, you might qualify for a ‘top up’ to £77.45 per week through your spouse’s or civil partner’s National Insurance contributions.
You can get the ‘top up’ if both of you have reached the correct age and either:
-
your spouse or civil partner reached the relevant age before 6 April 2016 and qualifies for some basic State Pension, even if they have not claimed it
-
your spouse or civil partner reached State age on or after 6 April 2016 and has at least one qualifying year of National Insurance contributions or credits from before 6 April 2016, even if they do not qualify for any new payments or they have not claimed it
If your spouse or civil partner was born before 6 April 1950, you can only get the ‘top up’ if you’re a woman who is married to either:
- a man
- a woman who legally changed their gender from male to female during your marriage
If you qualify for the ‘top up’ you should get it automatically.
Older Claimants
For men born before 1945 and women born before 1950, you need more qualifying years to get a full State amount and a certain minimum number of years to get any benefit at all. It is 44 and 39 years respectively to get a full pay out or 11 and 10 years to get anything at all.
