Basic State Pension - Can I get Basic State Pension?

You can only get Basic State Pension if you reached state pension age before 6 April 2016. If you reached state pension age on or after 6 April 2016, you may be entitled to the New State Pension.

You can check when you reached state pension age on the Check your State Pension age page of the government website.

To get Basic State Pension, you need to have paid enough national insurance contributions or received enough national insurance credits.

If you haven’t paid enough national insurance contributions yourself, you may still have some entitlement. Check our Basic State Pension – What if I don’t qualify? page to find out more.

As long as you satisfy the national insurance conditions, you can get Basic State Pension even if you are working or have other income. You do not have to claim your state pension straight away and may choose to defer. Deferring your pension can increase your entitlement later on.

The contribution conditions

If you reached state pension age on or after 6 April 2010, you are entitled to some Basic State Pension if you paid enough national insurance contributions for at least one year. 

If you reached state pension age before 6 April 2010, you are entitled to some Basic State Pension if you:

• Paid enough national insurance contributions for at least one year, and
• Paid enough national insurance contributions or received enough national insurance credits for a certain number of years, depending on the length of your work history.

To find out if you have paid enough national insurance contributions to qualify for Basic State Pension, you can request a State Pension statement. You can do this online on the Check your State Pension page of the government website or you can contact the Pension Service by telephone or post.