Your State Pension, five ways
You're on track for £220.62/week in today's terms (91.4% of the full rate). Over 25 years of drawing from 2029/30, the triple lock pays £477,080; CPI only would pay £417,081 (−£59,999).
Entitlement91.4%32 qualifying years
Weekly in today's terms£220.62£11,472/yr
Worst rule for youCPI only−£59,999 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: 2029/30 to 2053/54
| 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 | £275.23 | £511.53 | £280.19 | £477,080 | £324,807 | — | £481,539 |
| Earnings link only | £261.12 | £485.31 | £265.83 | £452,622 | £308,155 | −£24,459 | £461,411 |
| CPI only | £273.89 | £402.77 | £220.62 | £417,081 | £286,802 | −£59,999 | £420,979 |
| Flat 2.5% a year | £259.85 | £429.72 | £235.38 | £421,991 | £288,730 | −£55,089 | £421,991 |
| Adjusted lock | £275.23 | £509.06 | £278.84 | £474,972 | £323,406 | −£2,108 | £479,411 |
NI gap-fill — Buying the NI years pays back
Cost£3,827.204 × 52 × £18.40
Entitlement80% → 91.4%28 → 32 years
Extra at SPA (triple lock)£31.46/wk£1,636/yr
Payback2.29 yrsCPI-only: 2.32 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 28 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 4 year(s): £3,827.20 via Class 3 (£18.40/wk × 52 each) adds about £31.46/week at State Pension age and pays back in ~2.29 years of drawing under the triple lock (2.32 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 3 year(s) you have left to State Pension age will fill the gap for free: up to 3 of the 4 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 £59,999 less over 25 years than under the triple lock (and £60,560 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 (2029/30); 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2029/30 | £251.64 | £238.74 | £250.41 | £237.58 | £251.64 | 52 |
| 2030/31 | £259.19 | £245.90 | £255.42 | £243.52 | £259.19 | 52 |
| 2031/32 | £266.97 | £253.28 | £260.53 | £249.61 | £266.32 | 52 |
| 2032/33 | £274.97 | £260.88 | £265.74 | £255.85 | £273.97 | 52 |
| 2033/34 | £283.22 | £268.70 | £271.05 | £262.24 | £282.02 | 52 |
| 2034/35 | £291.72 | £276.76 | £276.48 | £268.80 | £290.40 | 52 |
| 2035/36 | £300.47 | £285.07 | £282.01 | £275.52 | £299.06 | 52 |
| 2036/37 | £309.49 | £293.62 | £287.65 | £282.41 | £308.01 | 52 |
| 2037/38 | £318.77 | £302.43 | £293.40 | £289.47 | £317.24 | 52 |
| 2038/39 | £328.33 | £311.50 | £299.27 | £296.71 | £326.75 | 52 |
| 2039/40 | £338.18 | £320.85 | £305.25 | £304.12 | £336.55 | 52 |
| 2040/41 | £348.33 | £330.47 | £311.36 | £311.73 | £346.65 | 52 |
| 2041/42 | £358.78 | £340.39 | £317.58 | £319.52 | £357.05 | 52 |
| 2042/43 | £369.54 | £350.60 | £323.94 | £327.51 | £367.76 | 52 |
| 2043/44 | £380.63 | £361.11 | £330.41 | £335.70 | £378.79 | 52 |
| 2044/45 | £392.05 | £371.95 | £337.02 | £344.09 | £390.15 | 52 |
| 2045/46 | £403.81 | £383.11 | £343.76 | £352.69 | £401.86 | 52 |
| 2046/47 | £415.92 | £394.60 | £350.64 | £361.51 | £413.91 | 52 |
| 2047/48 | £428.40 | £406.44 | £357.65 | £370.54 | £426.33 | 52 |
| 2048/49 | £441.25 | £418.63 | £364.80 | £379.81 | £439.12 | 52 |
| 2049/50 | £454.49 | £431.19 | £372.10 | £389.30 | £452.29 | 52 |
| 2050/51 | £468.13 | £444.13 | £379.54 | £399.04 | £465.86 | 52 |
| 2051/52 | £482.17 | £457.45 | £387.13 | £409.01 | £479.84 | 52 |
| 2052/53 | £496.63 | £471.17 | £394.88 | £419.24 | £494.23 | 52 |
| 2053/54 | £511.53 | £485.31 | £402.77 | £429.72 | £509.06 | 52 |
Inputs: 28 years now, +0 future, +4 bought; SPA in 3 yrs; defer 0 wks; earnings 3%, CPI 2% (CPI path 7, 4, 2) (earnings path 3, 2.5, 2.5); start £241.30/wk. Report sample-d · Markdown · JSON · created 2026-10-13T12:36:28.276Z. Simplified new State Pension maths (no starting amount, protected payment or inherited amounts). Not financial advice.