How do I check my State Pension forecast?

Use the free "Check your State Pension forecast" service on GOV.UK. You sign in with GOV.UK One Login or Government Gateway, and the same information is available through the HMRC app. It tells you how much State Pension you could get, when you can get it, and whether you can increase it. You cannot use the online service if you are already receiving your State Pension or have deferred claiming it - in that case contact the Pension Service, or the International Pension Centre if you live abroad.

What do the two figures on my State Pension forecast mean?

The forecast shows a projected amount and a current amount, and confusing them is the most common mistake. The projected figure is what you could get at State Pension age if you carry on building qualifying years to the point you reach it. The current figure, sometimes labelled "amount based on your record up to 5 April", is what you have already earned and would get if you never paid another penny of National Insurance. If the two are the same, you have already reached the maximum you can build.

Why is my State Pension forecast less than £241.30 a week?

There are three usual reasons. You may have fewer than 35 qualifying years, in which case you get a proportional amount. You may have gaps you can still fill with voluntary contributions. Or you may have been contracted out of the Additional State Pension before April 2016, which reduced your starting amount under the new system through a deduction shown on your forecast as COPE. Contracting out is the reason most people find their forecast lower than they expected, and it is not an error.

What is COPE on my State Pension forecast?

COPE stands for Contracted Out Pension Equivalent. If you were contracted out of the Additional State Pension, you paid lower National Insurance and your workplace or personal scheme took on the job of providing the equivalent benefit instead. COPE is an estimate of what that scheme should be paying you for those years. It is not money you have lost: it is money that should come from your own pension scheme rather than from the government. The figure is fixed at April 2016 rates, was used once in calculating your starting amount, and never changes afterwards.

How was my starting amount calculated in April 2016?

When the new State Pension began on 6 April 2016, everyone with a National Insurance record got a "starting amount", which was the higher of two calculations. The old-rules figure was your basic State Pension entitlement plus any Additional State Pension, less any contracted-out deduction. The new-rules figure was your qualifying years, capped at 35, divided by 35 and multiplied by the full new rate, less your rebate-derived amount for contracted-out years. Whichever came out higher became your starting point, and years worked after April 2016 build on top of it.

Can I still increase my State Pension after April 2016?

Yes, if your starting amount was below the full new rate. Each qualifying year after 6 April 2016 adds about 1/35th of the full rate, roughly £6.89 a week or £358 a year at 2026/27 rates, until you reach the full amount. You cannot go above the full new rate this way. If your starting amount was already above the full rate, the excess is a protected payment which you keep, but further years add nothing.

How much does it cost to fill a gap in my National Insurance record?

Voluntary Class 3 contributions cost £18.40 a week in 2026/27, which is £956.80 for a full year. One filled qualifying year adds around £358 a year to your State Pension for the rest of your life, so it typically pays for itself in under three years and then keeps paying. It is one of the highest-return decisions available in UK personal finance. Always check your forecast first, though, because not every gap you fill will actually increase your pension.

How far back can I fill National Insurance gaps?

Under the normal rule you can pay voluntary contributions for the previous six tax years. The special concession that let people fill gaps as far back as 2006/07 closed on 5 April 2025, so that route is gone. From September 2026 that means gaps from roughly 2020/21 onwards. Because the window rolls forward each April, a fillable gap becomes permanently unfillable if you leave it, which is why checking your record now matters more than checking it next year.

What if I cannot use the online forecast service?

If you are more than 30 days from State Pension age you can fill in form BR19 and post it, or call the Future Pension Centre and ask for a forecast to be posted to you. If you are already claiming or have deferred, the online service is not available to you at all and you should contact the Pension Service instead, or the International Pension Centre if you live abroad.

Is the State Pension forecast a guarantee?

No. It is an estimate based on your record today and the rules as they currently stand, shown at today’s rates. The actual amount depends on the qualifying years you go on to build, and the rate itself changes every April under the triple lock. Treat it as an accurate picture of where you stand now rather than a promise about a future figure, and check it again every few years, especially after a career break, a period abroad or a change in employment status.

Check your State Pension forecast: how to read it

How to check your forecast

The official service is free and takes minutes. Everything else on this page is about understanding what it tells you.

Go to the GOV.UK service. Search for "Check your State Pension forecast" or go to gov.uk/check-state-pension.
Sign in. You will need GOV.UK One Login or Government Gateway credentials, and proof of identity if this is your first time. The same information is available in the HMRC app, which many people find quicker.
Read both figures, not just the big one at the top. See the next section.
Open your National Insurance record. This is the more useful screen. It lists every tax year as full, not full, or not available, and tells you which gaps you can still pay for and what each would cost.

If you cannot use the online service

If you are more than 30 days from State Pension age, you can fill in form BR19 and post it, or call the Future Pension Centre and ask for a forecast to be posted to you. If you are already claiming your State Pension or have deferred it, the online forecast is not available at all - contact the Pension Service instead, or the International Pension Centre if you live abroad.

The two figures, and which one matters

Almost every misunderstanding about State Pension forecasts comes from confusing two numbers that sit close together on the same screen.

Figure	What it actually means
The forecast	What you could receive at State Pension age if you keep building qualifying years between now and then. This is the headline number, and it assumes a future that has not happened yet.
Your current amount	What you have already earned, based on your record to the last complete tax year. If you stopped paying National Insurance today, this is what you would get. This is the honest number.

If the two figures are the same, you have already reached the maximum you can build and further contributions add nothing to your State Pension. If the forecast is higher than the current amount, the difference is what you still have to earn - and the forecast quietly assumes you will. Someone planning to retire at 60 with a State Pension age of 67 should not rely on a forecast that assumes seven more years of contributions they are not going to make.

Why your forecast may be below the full rate

The full new State Pension is £241.30 a week in 2026/27. Plenty of people with long working lives find their forecast well below it. There are three explanations, and only one of them is a problem you can fix.

Quick check

Why is my forecast lower than £241.30?

1
You have fewer than 35 qualifying years

→ You get a proportional amount: qualifying years divided by 35, times the full rate. Working or claiming credits for more years increases it, up to the full rate.
2
You have gaps you can still pay for

→ Fixable, and usually excellent value. Voluntary Class 3 contributions cost £956.80 for a full year and add roughly £358 a year for life. The window is normally the last six tax years only.
3
You were contracted out before April 2016

→ Not fixable and not an error. Your starting amount was reduced because your workplace or personal scheme took on the job of paying the equivalent benefit. Look for a COPE figure on your forecast.
4
You have fewer than 10 qualifying years

→ You get no new State Pension at all. Pension Credit may still be payable on a means-tested basis. This is the one situation where filling gaps can be transformational.

Check your National Insurance record screen to see which of these applies to you.

Contracting out and COPE, explained properly

Between 1978 and April 2016 you could be contracted out of the Additional State Pension - the top-up known as SERPS and later the State Second Pension. Most people in final-salary schemes were, and many in personal pensions were too, often without ever making an active decision about it.

The deal was straightforward. You and your employer paid lower National Insurance, and in exchange your pension scheme took on the obligation to provide at least the equivalent of the Additional State Pension you were giving up. You can usually spot it on old payslips as National Insurance table letter D rather than A.

COPE - Contracted Out Pension Equivalent - is the government's estimate of what your own scheme should be paying you for those years. Three things about it are worth understanding:

It is not money you lost. It is money that should reach you from your workplace or personal pension instead of from the government. The total is broadly the same; the payer is different.
It is fixed at April 2016 rates and never changes. It was used once, on 6 April 2016, to work out your starting amount. It is shown for information only.
You cannot pay it back. No voluntary contribution reverses a contracted-out deduction. Filling gaps still helps if your starting amount is below the full rate, but it cannot undo the COPE adjustment itself.

The commonest false alarm

People with 40 or more qualifying years regularly find a forecast well under £241.30 and assume DWP has made a mistake. Almost always it is contracting out. Before you spend money filling gaps, check whether your forecast shows a COPE figure and whether the years you are considering paying for would actually raise your entitlement - the National Insurance record screen tells you directly, and the Future Pension Centre will confirm it.

The April 2016 starting amount

When the new State Pension started on 6 April 2016, everyone with a National Insurance record was given a starting amount. It was the higher of two calculations:

Under the old rules: your basic State Pension entitlement plus any Additional State Pension you had built, less any deduction for contracted-out years.
Under the new rules: your qualifying years, capped at 35, divided by 35 and multiplied by the full new rate, less your rebate-derived amount for contracted-out years.

Whichever was higher became your starting point, and what happens next depends on where it landed:

Below the full new rate: each qualifying year after April 2016 adds about 1/35th of the full rate - roughly £6.89 a week, or £358.50 a year - until you reach the full amount. You cannot exceed it this way.
Above the full new rate: the excess becomes a protected payment which you keep and which is uprated by CPI each year rather than by the triple lock. Further qualifying years add nothing.

Filling gaps: is it worth the money?

When it works, this is among the best-value decisions in UK personal finance. Voluntary Class 3 contributions cost £18.40 a week in 2026/27, or £956.80 for a full year. One extra qualifying year adds about £358.50 a year to your State Pension, for life.

That is a break-even of roughly 2.7 years. A 66-year-old with average life expectancy would expect to collect it for around two decades, and the payments rise every April with the triple lock. Very little else offers an index-linked return like that.

Scenario

Priya

59, forecast £212.40 a week, four gap years available

Situation: Priya took time out to care for a parent and has four fillable gaps in her National Insurance record. Her forecast is £212.40 a week and her current amount is the same, because she has stopped working.

Filling all four years would cost about £3,827 at £956.80 each.
That would add roughly £1,434 a year to her State Pension, taking her close to the full rate.
She breaks even in under three years and then collects the extra for the rest of her life, rising each April.
She should still ring the Future Pension Centre first to confirm each specific year increases her entitlement before paying anything.

Two traps before you pay

Not every gap helps. If your starting amount is already at or above the full new rate, extra years add nothing at all and the money is wasted. Confirm with the Future Pension Centre before paying.

The window closes each April. The normal rule lets you pay for the previous six tax years only. The concession that allowed gaps back to 2006/07 ended on 5 April 2025. Every April, the oldest fillable year drops off permanently.

Our NI top-up calculator works out the break-even and lifetime return on each £956.80, and how much State Pension will I get has the full table by qualifying years.

Best rates for over-50s

See today’s best savings rates

Most over-50s are losing money in old savings accounts paying under 1%. Compare FSCS-protected accounts paying 4%+ today.

What to do after you have checked

Write down the current amount, not the forecast. Build your plan on what you have actually earned, then treat future years as upside.
Check for gaps and whether they are worth filling. Look at the National Insurance record screen, then confirm with the Future Pension Centre before paying.
Check for missing credits. National Insurance credits are awarded for periods claiming Child Benefit for a child under 12, for carers, and for grandparents providing childcare through Specified Adult Childcare Credits. These are routinely missed and can often be claimed retrospectively - and unlike voluntary contributions, they are free.
Confirm your State Pension age. Knowing the amount is only half of it. See the State Pension age timetable or the calculator.
Work out the tax position. The full new State Pension is now within £22.40 of the frozen personal allowance and passes it in 2027/28 - see the triple lock and the April 2027 increase.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

How do I check my State Pension forecast?: Use the free "Check your State Pension forecast" service on GOV.UK. You sign in with GOV.UK One Login or Government Gateway, and the same information is available through the HMRC app. It tells you how much State Pension you could get, when you can get it, and whether you can increase it. You cannot use the online service if you are already receiving your State Pension or have deferred claiming it - in that case contact the Pension Service, or the International Pension Centre if you live abroad.
What do the two figures on my State Pension forecast mean?: The forecast shows a projected amount and a current amount, and confusing them is the most common mistake. The projected figure is what you could get at State Pension age if you carry on building qualifying years to the point you reach it. The current figure, sometimes labelled "amount based on your record up to 5 April", is what you have already earned and would get if you never paid another penny of National Insurance. If the two are the same, you have already reached the maximum you can build.
Why is my State Pension forecast less than £241.30 a week?: There are three usual reasons. You may have fewer than 35 qualifying years, in which case you get a proportional amount. You may have gaps you can still fill with voluntary contributions. Or you may have been contracted out of the Additional State Pension before April 2016, which reduced your starting amount under the new system through a deduction shown on your forecast as COPE. Contracting out is the reason most people find their forecast lower than they expected, and it is not an error.
What is COPE on my State Pension forecast?: COPE stands for Contracted Out Pension Equivalent. If you were contracted out of the Additional State Pension, you paid lower National Insurance and your workplace or personal scheme took on the job of providing the equivalent benefit instead. COPE is an estimate of what that scheme should be paying you for those years. It is not money you have lost: it is money that should come from your own pension scheme rather than from the government. The figure is fixed at April 2016 rates, was used once in calculating your starting amount, and never changes afterwards.
How was my starting amount calculated in April 2016?: When the new State Pension began on 6 April 2016, everyone with a National Insurance record got a "starting amount", which was the higher of two calculations. The old-rules figure was your basic State Pension entitlement plus any Additional State Pension, less any contracted-out deduction. The new-rules figure was your qualifying years, capped at 35, divided by 35 and multiplied by the full new rate, less your rebate-derived amount for contracted-out years. Whichever came out higher became your starting point, and years worked after April 2016 build on top of it.
Can I still increase my State Pension after April 2016?: Yes, if your starting amount was below the full new rate. Each qualifying year after 6 April 2016 adds about 1/35th of the full rate, roughly £6.89 a week or £358 a year at 2026/27 rates, until you reach the full amount. You cannot go above the full new rate this way. If your starting amount was already above the full rate, the excess is a protected payment which you keep, but further years add nothing.
How much does it cost to fill a gap in my National Insurance record?: Voluntary Class 3 contributions cost £18.40 a week in 2026/27, which is £956.80 for a full year. One filled qualifying year adds around £358 a year to your State Pension for the rest of your life, so it typically pays for itself in under three years and then keeps paying. It is one of the highest-return decisions available in UK personal finance. Always check your forecast first, though, because not every gap you fill will actually increase your pension.
How far back can I fill National Insurance gaps?: Under the normal rule you can pay voluntary contributions for the previous six tax years. The special concession that let people fill gaps as far back as 2006/07 closed on 5 April 2025, so that route is gone. From September 2026 that means gaps from roughly 2020/21 onwards. Because the window rolls forward each April, a fillable gap becomes permanently unfillable if you leave it, which is why checking your record now matters more than checking it next year.
What if I cannot use the online forecast service?: If you are more than 30 days from State Pension age you can fill in form BR19 and post it, or call the Future Pension Centre and ask for a forecast to be posted to you. If you are already claiming or have deferred, the online service is not available to you at all and you should contact the Pension Service instead, or the International Pension Centre if you live abroad.
Is the State Pension forecast a guarantee?: No. It is an estimate based on your record today and the rules as they currently stand, shown at today’s rates. The actual amount depends on the qualifying years you go on to build, and the rate itself changes every April under the triple lock. Treat it as an accurate picture of where you stand now rather than a promise about a future figure, and check it again every few years, especially after a career break, a period abroad or a change in employment status.