How Much Is State Pension UK 2026/27?
The 'full' UK State Pension is £241.30 a week. The average actually paid is £194. The £47 gap is 25 years of NI gaps and contracted-out years quietly compounding.
2026/27 State Pension at a glance
| Type | Weekly | Annual | Who Gets It |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full new State Pension | £241.30 | £12,548 | Reached SPA on/after 6 April 2016 with 35 qualifying NI years |
| Full basic State Pension | £184.90 | £9,615 | Reached SPA before 6 April 2016 with 30 qualifying NI years |
| Couple, both on full new | £482.60 | £25,096 | Both partners individually qualify in full |
| Average actually paid | ~£194 | ~£10,090 | Includes partial entitlements, contracted-out deductions |
Source: gov.uk proposed benefit and pension rates 2026/27. Average reflects DWP data on amounts actually in payment.
Key takeaways
The full new State Pension in 2026/27 is £241.30 a week, which works out at £12,548 a year. The basic State Pension (old system) is £184.90 a week or £9,615 a year.
Most people do not receive the full amount. Contracted-out periods, gap years, and incomplete NI records mean the average payment in 2026 sits closer to £194 a week than the headline figure.
A single person on the full new State Pension and nothing else is roughly £3,500 a year below the Pensions and Lifetime Savings Association minimum retirement standard. The State Pension is a floor, not a plan.
Filling missing NI years with voluntary Class 3 contributions costs £956.80 per year for 2026/27 and pays itself back in under three years for someone who lives a typical post-67 lifespan.