How much is the UK State Pension? Full new rate is £241.30 a week
The full new rate rose by 4.8% in April, DWP said, and a GOV.UK search on 18 October 2026 found no 2027-28 rates table.
The full rate of the new State Pension is £241.30 a week in 2026-27, according to GOV.UK, which says it is usually paid into a person’s account every four weeks.
That adds up to £965.20 over each four-week payment cycle, by our calculation. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) rates table lists the old basic State Pension, for Category A or B, at £184.90 a week.
The new State Pension is for men born on or after 6 April 1951 and women born on or after 6 April 1953, GOV.UK says. People born before then get the basic State Pension instead, and a person’s own amount depends on their National Insurance record.
| Pension | 2025-26 | 2026-27 |
|---|---|---|
| Full new State Pension | £230.25 | £241.30 |
| Basic State Pension, Category A or B | £176.45 | £184.90 |
How much did the rate rise in April?
DWP said on 4 April 2026 that the full new State Pension would increase by 4.8% “in line with the increase in average earnings”. That is £11.05 a week more than the previous rate, by our calculation.
Which day is the payment made?
The day depends on the last two digits of a person’s National Insurance number, GOV.UK says.
| Last two digits of National Insurance number | Payment day |
|---|---|
| 00 to 19 | Monday |
| 20 to 39 | Tuesday |
| 40 to 59 | Wednesday |
| 60 to 79 | Thursday |
| 80 to 99 | Friday |
A person “might be paid earlier” if the normal payment day is a bank holiday, GOV.UK says. The government’s list of bank holidays in England and Wales has three that fall on a weekday over Christmas and New Year: Friday 25 December 2026, Monday 28 December, the substitute day for Boxing Day, and Friday 1 January 2027.
What is known about the 2027-28 rate?
GOV.UK says the new State Pension rises each year by whichever is highest of three measures: average wage growth in Great Britain, growth in prices measured by the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), or 2.5%.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) is due to publish its September consumer price inflation figures on 21 October 2026. Its latest public sector finances release says the government has confirmed the 2026 Budget for Wednesday 28 October.
The DWP’s 2026-27 rates table, first published on 27 November 2025, says it lists the rates as set out in a written ministerial statement of 26 November 2025, the day Budget 2025 was presented to Parliament. A search of GOV.UK on 18 October 2026 found no rates table for 2027-28.
Questions and answers
How many years of National Insurance are needed?
GOV.UK says a person needs 10 qualifying years on their National Insurance record to get any new State Pension, and 35 for the full rate if the record started after April 2016. Anyone who was contracted out, meaning more went into a workplace or private pension and less into the State Pension, will usually need more than 35, it adds.
Where can a person check their own amount?
GOV.UK has a State Pension forecast service that shows how much a person could get when they reach State Pension age.
