The UK State Pension is a regular pension payment. The Government provides it, and most people in the UK can claim it when they get to the State Pension age. This type of pension can be a useful add-on to your retirement income. However, you won't receive your State Pension automatically—you will need to claim it. Fortunately, once you reach the minimum age, you should receive a letter that will tell you what to do next.
The April 2016 State Pension Changes
If you made it to the qualifying age before 6 April 2016, the changes will not affect you. This applies for both of these circumstances:
You were receiving your State Pension before 6 April 2016
You weren't receiving your State Pension despite qualifying for it before 6 April 2016
The full basic amount you can get per week is £125.95. You'll get this full amount if you have paid 30 years of National Insurance (NI) contributions. If you haven't paid 30 years' worth, you can still get a lesser amount of State Pension each week. If you defer payments, you can increase the amount of pension the Government eventually pays you after the end of the deferring period. That sounds a little complicated, but it's simple. For example, you have two options:
