New state pension

You will be able to claim the new State Pension if you are:

  • a man born on or after 6 April 1951 
  • a woman born on or after 6 April 1953 

The earliest you can get the new State Pension is when you reach State Pension age (external link)

If you reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016, you will get the State Pension under the old rules (external link) instead. 

Your National Insurance record 

You will usually need at least ten qualifying years on your National Insurance record to get any State Pension. They do not have to be ten qualifying years in a row. 

This means for ten years at least one or more of the following applied to you: 

If you have lived or worked abroad (external link) you might still be able to get some new State Pension.  

You might also qualify if you have paid married women’s or widow’s reduced rate contributions (external link)

Working after State Pension age 

You do not have to stop working when you reach State Pension age but you will no longer have to pay National Insurance (external link). You can also request flexible working arrangements (external link).