Check Your State Pension Forecast
Your State Pension forecast shows how much you could get, when you can claim it, and how to increase it. It's free and takes just a few minutes to check online.
What Is a State Pension Forecast?
A State Pension forecast is an estimate of:
- How much State Pension you'll get if you continue paying National Insurance until State Pension age
- When you can claim your State Pension
- How many qualifying years you currently have
- How many more years you need for the full amount
- Whether you can increase your forecast by filling gaps
How to Check Your Forecast Online
Step 1: Go to the Official Website
Visit gov.uk/check-state-pension
Step 2: Sign In or Create an Account
You'll need a Government Gateway user ID and password. If you don't have one:
- Click "Sign in" then "Create sign in details"
- You'll need your National Insurance number
- You may be asked security questions or sent a code by post
If the sign-in fails or identity verification rejects your documents, see our walk-through of accessing State Pension services through Government Gateway for fixes and the post-only fallback.
Step 3: View Your Forecast
Once signed in, you'll see:
- Your estimate: Weekly, monthly, and yearly amounts
- Your State Pension age: Exact date you can claim
- Your National Insurance record: Year-by-year breakdown
- Gaps in your record: Years you could fill
Understanding Your Forecast
Current Estimate
This shows what you'd get if you stopped paying National Insurance now. It's based on your qualifying years so far.
Forecast Amount
This shows what you could get if you continue contributing until State Pension age. It assumes you'll keep working or receiving credits.
Maximum You Can Get
For most people, this is £230.25 per week (2025/26 rate) if you have 35 qualifying years.
Your National Insurance Record
The forecast includes your full NI record showing:
- Full years: Years that count (paid contributions or credits)
- Years with gaps: Years that don't count
- Years you can fill: Recent gaps you could pay to complete
- Years you cannot fill: Too old or other reasons
What If You Have Gaps?
If your record shows gaps, the forecast tells you:
- How many more years you need for the full State Pension
- Whether filling gaps would increase your forecast
- How much voluntary contributions would cost
- Deadlines for filling specific years
When Should You Check Your Forecast?
Check your forecast:
- Regularly: At least once a year
- Before making major decisions: Retirement planning, voluntary contributions
- After life changes: Divorce, periods of caring, unemployment
- Before the tax year ends (5 April): To see if you need to fill the current year
- 10 years before State Pension age: To plan for retirement
Other Ways to Get Your Forecast
By Phone
Future Pension Centre: 0800 731 0175
Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm
By Post
Request form BR19 from GOV.UK or call the number above. Allow several weeks for a postal response.
Who Cannot Get a Forecast Online?
You may not be able to check online if:
- You've already claimed your State Pension
- You're over State Pension age but haven't claimed yet (call instead)
- You've deferred claiming
- You receive a spouse's or civil partner's State Pension
What to do if your forecast is lower than you expected
A forecast that surprises you usually has one of a small number of causes. Work through them in order:
- Check your year-by-year NI record. The forecast page links to it. Each year is marked as full, with gaps, or "year not full". Compare the years you remember working to the record. If something is missing, you can ask HMRC to investigate; pay slips, P60s, and old employer letters are useful evidence.
- Look for a contracted-out deduction (COPE). If you were in a workplace or personal pension that was contracted out of the additional State Pension before April 2016, your forecast includes a deduction. The COPE figure is shown on your forecast and explains why some people see less than the full new amount despite long careers.
- Confirm how many qualifying years you actually have. A "year" on your record is a tax year (6 April to 5 April), not a calendar year. Years where you earned but didn't reach the lower earnings limit do not count. Self-employed years where Class 2 NI wasn't paid won't count either.
- Decide whether voluntary contributions help. The forecast tells you whether buying back specific years would raise your weekly amount. Sometimes it won't, particularly if you are still working and on track to reach 35 years before pension age.
How current the forecast is
The figures on your forecast use the latest tax year that has been finalised on your record. There is usually a lag of a few months between a tax year ending on 5 April and the contributions for that year appearing in full. If you check in May or June, the most recent year may still be marked as incomplete simply because HMRC's annual reconciliation has not finished yet, not because anything is wrong.
How often to recheck
Once a year is enough for most people. Worth rechecking sooner if any of the following happens:
- You start, stop, or change jobs.
- You become self-employed or stop being self-employed.
- You take time out for caring or claim a benefit that should give you NI credits.
- You spend a tax year working abroad.
- You divorce, remarry, or are widowed (rules around inherited entitlement are different on each side of 6 April 2016).
- The Budget or Autumn Statement announces changes to State Pension or NI rules.
Reading the print-friendly version
The online forecast has a printable summary that compresses the key numbers onto one page: weekly, monthly, and annual amount; date you can claim; qualifying years to date; and how many more years you need for the maximum. Print or save the PDF before you contact MoneyHelper or a regulated adviser, so you can talk through the numbers with them.