UK State Pension of £169.50 per Week Arriving in March 2025 – Check the Date and Eligibility Criteria

Starting in March 2025, the UK government will increase the basic State Pension to £169.50 per week. This move is aimed at helping pensioners keep up with rising living costs, especially as inflation continues to impact essential spending. But not everyone will automatically receive the full amount. It depends on your age, work history, and National Insurance (NI) contributions. Here’s a simple guide on who qualifies, how to check your status, and how to boost your pension if needed.

Update

Let’s start with the key facts about this change:

Feature	Details
New Basic State Pension	£169.50 per week from March 2025
Eligibility Age	Men born before 6 April 1951, women before 6 April 1953
Qualifying Years Required	Typically 30 years of NI contributions
Partial Pension	Available if under 30 qualifying years
Additional State Pension	Earned through SERPS or S2P
Deferral Benefit	1% increase for every 5 weeks deferred
Official Website	GOV.UK – State Pension

Eligibility

To get the full basic State Pension, you need to meet certain criteria. This mainly depends on your date of birth and your National Insurance contribution history.

1. Age Requirement

You’ll only qualify for the basic State Pension (not the newer system) if:

• You’re a man born before 6 April 1951
• You’re a woman born before 6 April 1953

Anyone born after these dates will fall under the new State Pension rules.

2. National Insurance Contributions

To receive the full £169.50 per week, you must have at least 30 qualifying years of NI contributions. These can come from:

• Employment
• Self-employment
• NI credits (for things like caring for a child or job-seeking)

If you have fewer than 30 years, you’ll still get something—it just won’t be the full amount.

Check

Not sure where you stand? It’s easy to find out:

• Use the State Pension Forecast tool on the GOV.UK website
• Contact the Pension Service for a full breakdown of your NI history
• Request an official statement by post or online

This will tell you exactly how much you’re on track to receive and what steps you might need to take to fill any gaps.

Extras

Before 6 April 2016, there were two schemes that let workers build up additional State Pension:

1. SERPS

If you earned above the basic level, you could have contributed extra through SERPS, giving you a higher pension later.

2. S2P (State Second Pension)

This replaced SERPS and was aimed more at low and middle-income earners, helping them earn more pension.

If you were part of either scheme, your weekly payment could be higher than the new base rate.

Deferring

Thinking about delaying your claim? It might be worth it. For every 5 weeks you defer, your pension increases by 1%—which adds up to roughly 10.4% more per year.

You might want to defer if:

• You’re still working
• You don’t need the income right away
• You’d rather have larger payments later in retirement

Just be aware that tax and other benefits might be affected by deferring, so it’s worth speaking to a financial adviser.

Apply

Here’s how the application process works:

Step 1

About four months before you reach State Pension age, you’ll get a letter explaining how to apply.

Step 2

You can apply:

• Online via GOV.UK
• By phone through the State Pension claim line
• By post using a claim form

Step 3

You’ll need:

• Your National Insurance number
• Your bank account details
• Info about any deferred claims or additional pensions

Once your claim is processed, payments are usually made every four weeks directly into your bank account.

FAQs