How to check your State Pension forecast

A State Pension forecast tells you how much State Pension you could be entitled to, when you can claim it and how to increase the amount if you can¹. It is free, it comes from the Department for Work and Pensions, and there are three ways to get one: the online service at GOV.UK, a phone call to the Future Pension Centre, or a posted application form².

The amount shown is an estimate, not a promise. It is based on an estimate of what your National Insurance record could be when you reach State Pension age, so anything that changes your record between now and then changes the figure¹. The forecast itself should be regarded as a guide, not a guarantee³.

The State Pension is paid to people who have reached the minimum age to claim, currently 66, rising gradually over the next two years until it reaches 67⁴. Your own State Pension age is worked out from your gender and date of birth, and it is under review, so the age shown on your forecast may change in the future¹.

What a State Pension forecast tells you

The online service answers three questions in one go: how much State Pension you could be entitled to, when you can claim it, and how to increase the amount if you can¹. A State Pension statement, the older name for the same idea, gives you an estimate of how much State Pension you may get based on your National Insurance contribution records up to now⁶.

The forecast does more than produce a number. It helps you understand how any future National Insurance contributions might increase the amounts shown, which is what makes it useful well before retirement rather than only in the final year or two⁶. If you have gaps in your record, the forecast is usually the first place you see them.

The amount you eventually get depends on your National Insurance record and when you reach State Pension age⁷. Your State Pension age is the earliest age you can start receiving your State Pension, and it is worked out from your gender and date of birth⁵. The online calculator that checks your State Pension age and Pension Credit qualifying age sits alongside the forecast service⁵.

The forecast also tells you the earliest you can claim, which is not always the same as the age you plan to stop working. The earliest you can get your State Pension is when you reach your State Pension age⁷. Claiming later than that is a separate decision, covered below.

Three ways to get your forecast

There are three ways in which you can get a State Pension forecast: the online service, the Future Pension Centre, and application form BR19². All three are free, and all three draw on the same National Insurance record, so the route you pick is about convenience rather than a different answer.

If you live outside the UK, there are two ways you can get information about your State Pension, and completing application form BR19 is one of them². The other is contacting the International Pension Centre, which is also the route for claiming from abroad⁸.

People can also go on GOV.UK to find out more about their state pension, which is the simplest starting point if you are not sure which route applies to you⁹.

Checking online at GOV.UK or through your Personal Tax Account

The check your state pension service is available on GOV.UK or via the Personal Tax Account¹⁰. You can check your state pension forecast on the Government website at gov.uk/check-state-pension¹¹. The State Pension forecast tool on the government's website is the same service under a different description¹².

To use it, you need to prove your identity using Government Gateway, and you can register for Government Gateway if you have not used it before¹. The separate manage your State Pension service, which handles changes once you are claiming, also requires you to register and verify your identity before using it¹³.

The HMRC app allows users to check their State Pension forecast, understand any potential gaps in their National Insurance record, and top up their contributions if they are eligible to do so¹⁴. The government has enhanced its existing check your state pension forecast tool, which you can access via gov.uk or the HMRC app, logging in with Government Gateway details¹⁵. If you want to top up online, you log in with your Government Gateway details or register for a new account, and pay by bank transfer or open banking¹⁶.

If you need written proof of your State Pension rather than a forecast, that is a different service: you need a GOV.UK One Login to use the Get proof of your benefits and State Pension service, and you can create one if you do not already have one¹⁷.

Asking the Future Pension Centre or applying by post

If you reach your State Pension age in more than 30 days, you can call the Future Pension Centre, who will post the forecast to you¹. The same 30-day rule appears in independent guidance: if you are more than 30 days away from reaching State Pension age you can ring the Future Pension Centre¹⁸. The Future Pension Centre is part of the Department for Work and Pensions and can provide further details about your state pension breakdown¹⁰.

The postal route uses a State Pension forecast application form (BR19), which you complete and send by post to the address at the end of the form¹. This is the route to use if you reach your State Pension age in more than 30 days and would rather not use the phone or the online service¹.

The Future Pension Centre is also the number to call if you are below state pension age and want to find out whether you would benefit from paying voluntary contributions¹⁹. If you have not reached State Pension age, you can check your State Pension forecast or contact the Future Pension Centre to find out if you will benefit from paying voluntary contributions²⁰. If you have reached State Pension age, or will reach it in the next 6 months, the equivalent contact is the International Pension Centre, who will check if you have a gap in National Insurance contributions and tell you how much you need to pay²⁰.

There are separate schemes for some groups. If you are currently serving in the armed forces, you can download and fill in a pension forecast request (form 12)²². If you have left the armed forces, you can download and fill in a preserved pension forecast form (form 14) to get an estimate of your pension²². Under the Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2005 and the Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2015, a free pension forecast can be requested once a year from Veterans UK²³.

Why your forecast can change after you check it

A forecast is a snapshot of a moving record. Your State Pension forecast will be accurate at the point of submitting your information, although future adjustments to State Pension benefits may alter your projection by the time you retire³. The State Pension age is regularly reviewed, so the results of the age calculator may change in the future⁵. The State Pension age is under review and may change in the future¹.

The age itself is already moving. Between April 2026 and March 2028, the State Pension age is rising from 66 to 67²⁵. The minimum age to claim is currently 66, increasing gradually over the next two years until it reaches 67⁴. For people born between 6 April 1960 and 5 April 1977, the claim age is between 66 and 67, a set date depending on date of birth; for people born between 6 April 1977 and 5 April 1978, it is between 67 and 68, again a set date depending on date of birth⁸. Independent tables show the same transition in finer steps: people born 06/07/60 to 05/08/60 can claim from 66 years and 4 months, people born 06/11/60 to 05/12/60 from 66 years and 8 months, and people born 06/12/60 to 05/01/61 from 66 years and 9 months²⁶.

Your record can move too. If you have lived in Australia, Canada or New Zealand, your UK State Pension will be calculated, or recalculated if already in payment, using only your UK National Insurance record²⁷. Deferring your State Pension is another lever: you might be able to increase the amount you get if you delay your pension⁷. But you cannot get extra State Pension if you get certain benefits, and deferring can also affect how much you can get in benefits²⁸. Deferring your State Pension can also affect how much you can receive in benefits²⁹.

Where to get free help

The forecast services themselves are free, and so is the wider guidance around them. MoneyHelper offers a free pension calculator to estimate your total retirement income, including how it would change if you save more, plus free Pension Wise appointments³⁰. Pension Wise is the government's free guidance service for people with defined contribution pots⁸.

If you are not already getting your State Pension, or you have delayed (or deferred) claiming it, you can apply for a State Pension statement, which will tell you how much you are likely to get³¹. Pension administrators can also provide specific information about your scheme and a pension forecast giving an estimate of how much your pension is likely to be when you retire⁶. Personal pension providers send a yearly forecast³².

For tracing other pensions you have lost track of, the Pension Tracing Service finds details of a person's personal or workplace pension³³. Pensions dashboards, when they arrive, are intended to show the date you turn eligible for the state pension, the forecasted state pension amount and the estimated amount based on your National Insurance record³⁴.

If you are checking your record because of a gap, the voluntary contributions pages explain how paying Class 3 contributions works and who it suits²⁰. If you are checking because you are close to claiming, the claiming pages set out how to claim online, by phone or by post³⁵.