Qualifying for a State Pension

On 6 April 2010, the way you qualify for a State Pension changed:

• to get a full basic State Pension, you only need 30 qualifying years of National Insurance contributions (in the past, men normally needed 44 years and women 39 years)
• once you have built up a single qualifying year of National Insurance you qualify for at least some basic State Pension
• it is easier for parents and carers to build up qualifying years of National Insurance and get a State Pension

If you're over 55, or if you care for someone, you should find out how the changes may affect you.

Changes to the State Pension age

The State Pension age has changed for most people - this is the age when people can choose to start getting their State Pension.

• Find out more about changes to the State Pension age

What the changes mean to you

What this means to you depends on your circumstances. Some of the most important examples are on this page.

If you are a parent or carer

People reaching State Pension age on or after 6 April 2010 may be able to build up entitlement to the State Pension through new National Insurance credits. You may be eligible for these if you are:

• a parent with a dependent child under 12 years of age 
• an approved foster carer 
• caring for one or more sick or disabled people for 20 hours a week or more

Any periods of Home Responsibilities Protection (HRP) you may have prior to 6 April 2010 will be converted into years of credits. This is up to a maximum of 22 years.

• Changes to State Pensions for parents and carers

• Caring and your pension (caring for someone section)

• Getting credits towards your State Pension

• Home Responsibilities Protection (money, tax and benefits section)

If you recently reached State Pension age

If you recently reached State Pension age, the impact of the changes depends on when you reach State Pension age. You should find out what the changes mean to you. The State Pension profiler can help you see what this means to you.

• State Pension profiler

If you are married or a civil partner

Previously, some married women could get an increased basic State Pension based on their husband's entitlement. From May 2010, this will gradually start to apply to married men and civil partners as well. Provided your spouse or civil partner has reached State Pension age and the other conditions apply, you do not need to wait until they claim their State Pension.

• Changes to the State Pension for married people and civil partners

If there is an adult who depends on you financially

It is no longer possible to claim an increase of your State Pension for another adult. This was called an 'Adult Dependency Increase'. It was an increase in your State Pension for a wife, husband or someone who is looking after your children, if he or she is considered to be financially dependent on you.

If you already received this increase on 5 April 2010, you will be able to keep it until you no longer meet the conditions for the increase or until 5 April 2020, whichever is first.

• Find your pension centre

• Claiming the basic State Pension

• Calculate your State Pension age

If you already receive the State Pension

If you already received the State Pension or reached State Pension age before 6 April 2010, changes to the State Pension will not affect you very much.

However one change that will affect you is that the basic State Pension will increase in line with earnings from 2012 at the earliest. This means it should rise more quickly each year than it does now.

If you are eligible for Pension Credit

If you’re a pensioner living in Great Britain you may be entitled to Pension Credit. It guarantees people a minimum level of income. It also rewards those aged 65 or over who have made modest savings for their retirement.

The age that you can get Pension Credit is gradually increasing for men and women from 60 to 65 between April 2010 and April 2020, in line with changes to women’s State Pension age.

Changes to the additional State Pension

The additional State Pension is also changing, although the changes will not come until later.

• The additional State Pension and how it is changing

Benefit payment changes that start from April 2010

The changes also affect the payment of State Pensions. If you reach State Pension age on or after 6 April 2010 you will be paid in arrears on a day linked to your National Insurance number. This means you will be paid at the end of your pay week, not from the start. Your payday is the day you normally receive your payment (sometimes called your ‘pay week-ending day’).

National Insurance number

This is the number you get when you first start work or claim a benefit. It is normally shown on the letters The Pension Service sends you.

The Pension Service will use the last two numbers of your National Insurance number to work out your new pay week-ending day, as shown in the following table.

Last two numbers of National Insurance number	Pay week-ending day
00 to 19	Monday
20 to 39	Tuesday
40 to 59	Wednesday
60 to 79	Thursday
80 to 99	Friday

For example, if your National Insurance number is QQ 12 34 56 A, your pay week-ending day will be Wednesday.