The state pension is a weekly payment made to people over state retirement age (SRA) by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). It is paid to around 13 million Brits a year and is available at age 66 for both men and women who have paid at least 10 years’ worth of National Insurance (NI) contributions.

However, many people approaching retirement age may not be aware that to receive the full new state pension payment of £230.25 each week, they will need around 35 years’ worth of NI contributions. If you have been ‘contracted out’ of the state pension you may need more NI contributions to qualify for the full amount. Brits are also being warned of an increase to the state pension age, which is set to rise to 67 between 2026 and 2028, with a further planned rise to 68 by the mid-2040s.

You will need at least 10 qualifying years on your National Insurance record to qualify for any state pension, although they do not have to be 10 qualifying years in a row.

If you have lived or worked abroad, you might still be able to get some form of state pension.

You might also qualify if you have paid married women’s or widows’ reduced rate contributions – find out more about this via GOV.UK.

If you get the full state pension you will be getting the maximum amount of state pension a person can receive.

To get this, you will need around 35 qualifying years. If you have between 10 and 35 years, then you will get a portion of the state pension unless you buy additional NI years.

When you are working you pay National Insurance and get a qualifying year if:

• you’re employed and earning over £242 a week from one employer
• you’re self-employed and paying NI contributions

You can get National Insurance credits if you:

• claim Child Benefit for a child under 12 (or under 16 before 2010)
• get Jobseeker’s Allowance or Employment and Support Allowance
• receive Carer’s Allowance

If you are not working or getting National Insurance credits, you might be able to pay voluntary National Insurance contributions if you’re not in one of these groups but want to increase your state pension amount. Find out more on the GOV.UK website here.

You can have gaps in your NI record and still get the full state pension. You can get a state pension statement, which will tell you how much state pension you may get. You can then apply for a National Insurance statement from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to check if your record has gaps.

If you have gaps in your National Insurance record that would prevent you from getting the full state pension, you may be able to:

• get National InsuranceI credits
• make voluntary National Insurance contributions

Check your state pension age to find out when you can retire and claim state pension using the free online tool at GOV.UK here.

This will tell you:

• when you will reach state pension age
• your Pension Credit qualifying age