Last reviewed: 25 April 2026

About StatePension.org

What this site is

StatePension.org is an independent online resource for people who want to understand the UK State Pension without wading through dense government guidance. It is published as a static website at the domain statepension.org and is not affiliated with HM Government, the Department for Work and Pensions, HMRC, or any other public body.

The audience we write for is broad: anyone planning their retirement under UK rules, including people approaching State Pension age, people checking their National Insurance record for the first time, expats trying to work out whether their pension will be uprated abroad, and family members helping older relatives navigate the system. The content assumes no prior knowledge and avoids financial-services jargon.

What we cover

The site covers the UK State Pension in depth. Subjects include:

  • Working out your State Pension age and how the staged increases apply.
  • How qualifying years are counted and how the new State Pension is calculated.
  • National Insurance credits — when you receive them automatically and when you have to claim.
  • Filling gaps in your record with voluntary contributions, including when it's worth doing and when it's not.
  • Deferring the State Pension and the trade-offs involved.
  • Living, working, or retiring abroad — including frozen vs uprated countries.
  • How the State Pension is taxed and how it interacts with other income.
  • Inheritance, divorce, and bereavement issues affecting State Pension.
  • Common mistakes, scams, and friction points such as Government Gateway access.

We also publish four free calculators, an A–Z glossary of pension terms, and a regularly reviewed FAQ.

Editorial approach

Every page is written from primary sources. The starting points for almost every article are the GOV.UK pages on State Pension and National Insurance, the Department for Work and Pensions and HMRC technical manuals, House of Commons Library research briefings, and MoneyHelper guidance. Where rules are stated as numbers — pension age, weekly rates, qualifying-year thresholds, voluntary NI prices — we link to the official source so readers can verify the figure themselves.

We follow a few principles to keep the content useful and trustworthy:

  • Accuracy first. If we are not confident about a number or a rule, we leave it out rather than guess.
  • Plain English. We define terms the first time they appear and link to the glossary for anything technical.
  • No personal advice. We explain how the system works, but the site cannot replace tailored financial advice for individual circumstances.
  • Worked examples. Where calculations matter, we show the maths and label illustrative scenarios as such, not as case studies of real people.
  • Date-stamped reviews. Substantive pages display a "Last reviewed" date so readers can see how current the content is.

How content is produced and reviewed

Articles are drafted, fact-checked against primary sources, and then read in full before publication. Numbers that change with the tax year — the full new State Pension, voluntary Class 3 weekly cost, NI thresholds — are reviewed at least twice a year: after the autumn uprating announcement and again after rates take effect on 6 April. Pages affected by legislation are reviewed when bills receive Royal Assent or when the relevant statutory instrument is laid. Any reader who spots an error can flag it through the contact page; corrections are made as soon as we can verify the source.

What this site is not

  • Not a government service. Only GOV.UK can give you your personal forecast or process a claim.
  • Not a regulated financial adviser. Nothing on the site is a personal recommendation. For tailored advice, speak to a regulated adviser or to MoneyHelper.
  • Not exhaustive. State Pension rules contain edge cases — contracted-out deductions, transitional protections, partial residence — that a general guide can mention but cannot fully resolve for an individual.

How the site is funded

Running a website costs money — domain registration, hosting, a content delivery network, and the time spent reviewing changes. To keep the site free to use, we display advertising provided by Google AdSense. Ads appear alongside the editorial content, never inside it, and we do not accept payment in exchange for coverage, links, recommendations, or endorsement. If a section of the site discusses a product or service, that is editorial judgment, not paid placement.

We also use Google Analytics to understand which pages readers find useful, in aggregate. The data informs which pages we prioritise for review. Full details, including how to opt out of either, are on the privacy policy and cookie policy.

Accessibility

Pages are built as semantic HTML with a single CSS file, no autoplay media, and a "skip to main content" link. The site supports a high-contrast dark mode and is designed to remain readable when text is enlarged. The full statement is on the accessibility page.

For your personal entitlement, always check your State Pension forecast at gov.uk/check-state-pension and consult a regulated adviser for tailored guidance.

Get in touch

Corrections, suggestions, and accessibility feedback are welcome. The contact page has the relevant email addresses and external resources for things this site cannot help with.

Start here