How to check your State Pension forecast
The official GOV.UK forecast is the safest starting point because it uses your National Insurance record rather than a generic pension estimate. It normally shows your forecast amount, your State Pension age and whether you may be able to improve the result.
- Open the GOV.UK Check your State Pension forecast service.
- Sign in using the identity options offered by GOV.UK.
- Record the forecast based on contributions made so far.
- Compare it with the higher figure you could receive by contributing until State Pension age, where one is shown.
- Open your National Insurance record and inspect every incomplete tax year.
If you cannot use the online service, GOV.UK directs eligible users to the Future Pension Centre for help with forecasts. People who have already reached State Pension age should instead contact the Pension Service about their claim or payments.
Do not pay voluntary National Insurance contributions solely because a year is marked incomplete. HM Revenue & Customs and the DWP warn that filling a gap does not always increase State Pension, particularly where contracted-out history, credits or the maximum forecast applies.
What the figures on your forecast mean
A State Pension forecast is not a bank balance. It is an estimate based on current law, your contribution history and assumptions about contributions or credits before you reach State Pension age.
| Forecast entry | What it tells you | What to check next |
|---|---|---|
| Estimate based on your record so far | The pension built up from qualifying years already recorded | Look for missing employment, self-employment or credit periods |
| Forecast if you continue contributing | The amount you may reach through future qualifying years | Check whether expected work or benefit credits cover those years |
| Maximum available to you | The highest forecast currently available under your record | Do not buy extra years once additional contributions cannot improve it |
| State Pension age | The date GOV.UK currently expects you to become eligible | Recheck after any legislated timetable change |
| COPE information | An estimate connected with past contracted-out pension arrangements | Ask the relevant workplace or private pension provider what it may pay |
Under GOV.UK rules, someone whose National Insurance record started after 6 April 2016 normally needs at least 10 qualifying years to receive any new State Pension and usually 35 qualifying years for the full amount. Different calculations can apply to records that began earlier or include contracted-out employment.
Your forecast should therefore take priority over multiplying qualifying years by a headline weekly rate. Use SupportFund’s Pension Credit guidance if your expected retirement income may be low.
Check gaps before paying voluntary contributions
An incomplete year can arise from low earnings, time abroad, self-employment history or a period when National Insurance credits were not recorded. Some gaps can be corrected without payment if you should have received credits for caring, illness, unemployment or an eligible benefit.
A safer order for investigating a gap
- Compare your National Insurance record with payslips, P60s, benefit letters and self-employment records.
- Ask HMRC to investigate contributions that appear to be missing.
- Check whether National Insurance credits should apply.
- Ask the Future Pension Centre whether filling the specific year would increase your forecast.
- Only then obtain the payment reference and deadline from HMRC.
GOV.UK states that voluntary contributions can normally be paid for the previous 6 tax years, with a deadline of 5 April each year for the oldest available year. Special extensions can apply in limited circumstances, so confirm the exact years and cost directly with HMRC before transferring money.
Practical tip: ask what your forecast would become after filling each individual year. One year may improve the pension while another adds nothing, even when both appear incomplete on the HMRC record.
If paying a contribution would leave you unable to meet essentials, review your household budget and available emergency support before committing funds.
Why your forecast may differ from someone else’s
Two people with the same number of qualifying years can receive different forecasts. The transitional calculation introduced with the new State Pension considers National Insurance history before and after 6 April 2016, according to GOV.UK.
- Contracted-out employment: membership of certain workplace pension schemes can affect the starting calculation.
- Pre-2016 history: the old basic and additional State Pension rules may form part of the calculation.
- Credits: eligible caring, sickness, unemployment or Child Benefit periods may create qualifying years.
- Overseas periods: social security agreements may help establish eligibility, although the UK payment can still be based on UK contributions.
- Deferral: delaying a claim may increase payments under the rules applying to the claimant.
A COPE figure is not normally deducted from the forecast displayed as payable by the State Pension service. GOV.UK explains that it is an estimate of pension value expected from a workplace or personal pension linked to contracted-out service, and the actual scheme benefit may differ.
From forecast to claim: avoid these mistakes
The State Pension is not generally paid automatically. GOV.UK says the DWP should send an invitation before State Pension age, but you remain responsible for making the claim or choosing to defer it.
- Keep your address and contact details current with the relevant government departments.
- Check your forecast again when work, caring responsibilities or National Insurance credits change.
- Retain the confirmation for any voluntary contribution and verify that the year later updates.
- Review occupational and private pensions separately; they are not included in the State Pension forecast.
- Consider the tax effect because GOV.UK confirms that State Pension is taxable income, even though tax is not usually deducted directly from the payment.
A forecast is also not a Pension Credit assessment. Pension Credit considers household circumstances and income under DWP rules, so a person receiving State Pension may still qualify for additional support.
Rates and pension rules can change. Before making a contribution, retirement or tax decision, confirm the current 2026/27 State Pension rates and your personal position on GOV.UK.