Your State Pension, five ways
You're on track for £241.30/week in today's terms (100% of the full rate). Over 15 years of drawing from 2034/35, the triple lock pays £343,850; CPI only would pay £254,239 (−£89,611).
Entitlement100%35 qualifying years
Weekly in today's terms£241.30£12,548/yr
Worst rule for youCPI only−£89,611 vs triple lock
NI purchaseBuying the NI years pays back
Full new State Pension (£/week) by tax year
Triple lock Earnings link only CPI only Flat 2.5% a year Adjusted lock
Adjusted lock: triple lock until 2030/31, then max(CPI, 2.5%) with 50% annual catch-up toward an earnings track (and CPI-only when above it).What you'd receive: 2034/35 to 2048/49
| Rule | Full rate at SPA | Your weekly, final year | Today's money | Total received | Total, today's money | vs triple lock | 8% CPI shock total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Triple lock | £330.24 | £571.86 | £369.90 | £343,850 | £252,742 | — | £357,075 |
| Earnings link only | £330.24 | £571.86 | £369.90 | £343,850 | £252,742 | £0 | £347,156 |
| CPI only | £282.72 | £373.04 | £241.30 | £254,239 | £188,214 | −£89,611 | £269,195 |
| Flat 2.5% a year | £294.00 | £415.42 | £268.71 | £274,144 | £202,584 | −£69,706 | £274,144 |
| Adjusted lock | £325.82 | £563.73 | £364.64 | £338,991 | £249,173 | −£4,859 | £352,029 |
NI gap-fill — Buying the NI years pays back
Cost£2,870.403 × 52 × £18.40
Entitlement91.4% → 100%32 → 35 years
Extra at SPA (triple lock)£28.31/wk£1,472/yr
Payback1.91 yrsCPI-only: 2.25 yrs
Deferral
You're claiming on time. Deferring adds 1% per 9 weeks (≈5.8% a year), CPI-linked only.
Next steps
- Get your official forecast at gov.uk/check-state-pension (Government Gateway / GOV.UK One Login). Check the "qualifying years" count matches the 32 you entered and note any "starting amount" if you were contracted out before 2016 — it can put you above or below the pro-rata figure used here.
- Download your NI record (gov.uk/check-national-insurance-record) and list each gap year by tax year. Mark which are "not full" years and which fall inside the last 6 tax years — normally only those can still be bought.
- Buy the 3 year(s): £2,870.40 via Class 3 (£18.40/wk × 52 each) adds about £28.31/week at State Pension age and pays back in ~1.91 years of drawing under the triple lock (2.25 years even under CPI-only). Call the Future Pension Centre (0800 731 0175) first to confirm each year will actually count, then pay the year with the oldest deadline first.
- Before paying, check whether the 8 year(s) you have left to State Pension age will fill the gap for free: up to 3 of the 3 year(s) could come from employment (earnings above the Lower Earnings Limit, £129/wk in 2026/27) or NI credits instead — buy only the shortfall. Re-run with futureNiYears set to the years you expect to earn.
- Stress-test the uprating risk: under CPI only you'd receive £89,611 less over 15 years than under the triple lock (and £87,881 less in the 8% CPI shock case). Size your private pension / drawdown so you can live with the worst line, not the triple-lock line.
- Deferral: you are claiming on time. Deferring at least 9 weeks would add 1% per 9 weeks (≈5.8% a year), but the extra only rises with CPI and typically takes 17+ years to break even — re-run with deferWeeks to price it.
- Diary your State Pension claim: the DWP should write about 2 months before State Pension age (2034/35); claim online at gov.uk/get-state-pension or on 0800 731 7898 if no letter arrives. State Pension age is rising to 67 between 2026 and 2028 — check yours at gov.uk/state-pension-age.
- Save this report link and re-run it each April after the uprating announcement (Autumn Budget sets the figure; GOV.UK publishes the new weekly rate) — swap your startingWeekly and CPI/earnings assumptions for the actual numbers, and take regulated advice (unbiased.co.uk / MoneyHelper Pension Wise if 50+) before large Class 3 payments.
Year-by-year: your weekly pension under each rule
| Tax year | Triple lock | Earnings link only | CPI only | Flat 2.5% a year | Adjusted lock | Weeks paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2034/35 | £330.24 | £330.24 | £282.72 | £294.00 | £325.82 | 52 |
| 2035/36 | £343.45 | £343.45 | £288.38 | £301.35 | £338.70 | 52 |
| 2036/37 | £357.18 | £357.18 | £294.14 | £308.88 | £352.18 | 52 |
| 2037/38 | £371.47 | £371.47 | £300.03 | £316.61 | £366.23 | 52 |
| 2038/39 | £386.33 | £386.33 | £306.03 | £324.52 | £380.86 | 52 |
| 2039/40 | £401.78 | £401.78 | £312.15 | £332.63 | £396.08 | 52 |
| 2040/41 | £417.85 | £417.85 | £318.39 | £340.95 | £411.92 | 52 |
| 2041/42 | £434.57 | £434.57 | £324.76 | £349.47 | £428.39 | 52 |
| 2042/43 | £451.95 | £451.95 | £331.25 | £358.21 | £445.53 | 52 |
| 2043/44 | £470.03 | £470.03 | £337.88 | £367.17 | £463.35 | 52 |
| 2044/45 | £488.83 | £488.83 | £344.64 | £376.35 | £481.88 | 52 |
| 2045/46 | £508.38 | £508.38 | £351.53 | £385.75 | £501.15 | 52 |
| 2046/47 | £528.72 | £528.72 | £358.56 | £395.40 | £521.20 | 52 |
| 2047/48 | £549.87 | £549.87 | £365.73 | £405.28 | £542.05 | 52 |
| 2048/49 | £571.86 | £571.86 | £373.04 | £415.42 | £563.73 | 52 |
Inputs: 32 years now, +0 future, +3 bought; SPA in 8 yrs; defer 0 wks; earnings 4%, CPI 2%; start £241.30/wk. Report sample-a · Markdown · JSON · created 2026-10-13T12:37:55.377Z. Simplified new State Pension maths (no starting amount, protected payment or inherited amounts). Not financial advice.