How much will you receive?
If you are entitled to receive a State pension, you can claim it when you reach State retirement age, or defer it beyond State pension age should you wish. How much you receive will depend on how many years National Insurance contributions you have made – at least 10 years contributions are required to qualify.
If you retired before 6 April 2016 then you will be entitled to the Basic State Pension which is slightly different to the New State Pension which has been in force since.
New State Pension
The maximum New State Pension is £168.60 per week for 2019/2020, however you will not receive the maximum as an automatic right. How much you receive will depend upon your National Insurance contribution record. Generally you will receive a full basic State pension if you have paid National Insurance contributions for 35 years.
Additional State Pension
This is paid in addition to the State Pension but could only be accrued prior to 2016 – if you were entitled to any additional state benefits before the New State Pension started then the DWP will take this into account when calculating your weekly allowance so you will not lose out.