Can I claim my State Pension while still working?

Yes. Working does not stop you claiming your State Pension. The only condition that decides when you can claim is reaching State Pension age, and you can claim while employed, self-employed or not working at all. State Pension age is currently 66 and is increasing gradually over the next two years until it reaches 67¹.

What you earn does not reduce your State Pension. It is based on your National Insurance record, not on your salary at the time you claim. You can get the new State Pension even if you are working or have other income, as long as you satisfy the National Insurance conditions². You normally need at least 10 qualifying years on your National Insurance record to get any new State Pension³.

Two things do change once you reach State Pension age and keep working. You stop paying National Insurance on your earnings, and your State Pension is paid without tax taken off, with your tax code adjusted instead so any tax due comes out of your wages or other pensions⁴.

Working does not stop you claiming your State Pension

The rule is simple and it is set out in official guidance: you can claim your State Pension while working as long as you have reached State Pension age¹. There is no earnings test, no tapering and no requirement to reduce your hours. Anyone can continue working past State Pension age, and you do not have to stop working when you reach it⁸.

That is different from the way many private and workplace pensions work, where the scheme's own rules decide when you can draw. For the State Pension, the trigger is age alone.

Three options are open to you at State Pension age, and they sit side by side⁹:

• Stop working and claim your State Pension.
• Carry on working and claim your State Pension at the same time.
• Carry on working and put off claiming, which may mean extra State Pension or a lump sum later.

If you are still working, you are also still entitled to the National Minimum Wage for any paid work you do after you reach State Pension age⁸. Reaching State Pension age is not a reason for an employer to change your pay rate.

One practical point: the Department for Work and Pensions will not pay you automatically. You have to tell them you want to claim¹⁰. If you do nothing, your pension is treated as deferred, which is a different outcome from simply not being paid yet.

The condition that matters: reaching State Pension age

Your State Pension age is the earliest age you can start receiving your State Pension¹¹. It is not the same as retirement, and it is not the same as the age at which you can take a private pension.

State Pension age is currently 66 and is increasing gradually over the next two years until it reaches 67¹. It is under review and may change in the future¹². For people born between 6 April 1977 and 5 April 1978, it falls between age 67 and 68 on a set date depending on date of birth¹³.

If you retire before you reach State Pension age, you will have to wait to claim it¹⁴. There is no early access route on grounds of simply having stopped work. The earliest you can get your State Pension is when you reach State Pension age¹⁴.

Which State Pension you get depends on when you reach that age, not on when you were born or how long you worked:

You can claim up to 4 months before you reach State Pension age, so the payments can start as soon as you are eligible⁶. If you want to check what you are likely to get before then, a State Pension forecast is available, though you cannot use the online forecast service if you are already getting your State Pension or have deferred claiming it¹².

National Insurance conditions for the new State Pension

Working does not just fail to reduce your State Pension. It is usually how you build the record that qualifies you for one. You need at least 10 qualifying years on your National Insurance record to get any new State Pension³.

If you have gaps, there are routes to fill them. If you are not working and receive child benefit, you automatically qualify for National Insurance credits, and the same applies if you receive Carer's Allowance. You also receive credits while unemployed if you are actively seeking work and claiming benefits such as Jobseeker's Allowance or Universal Credit¹⁵. Carer's Credit protects your right to a State Pension even if you are not working or claiming benefits¹⁶.

Once you reach State Pension age, the contributions stop. You do not pay National Insurance after you reach State Pension age, unless you are self-employed and pay Class 4 contributions⁵. If you are employed, you stop paying on your earnings, and your employer stops paying secondary contributions too¹⁷.

There is one protection worth knowing about if you built up contributions before 6 April 2016. If you paid National Insurance contributions before that date and would have been better off claiming the old Basic State Pension, you could receive an additional amount so that you are not any worse off claiming the new State Pension¹⁹.

Deferring your State Pension while you keep working

If you do not want to claim yet, you can delay your State Pension²⁰. This is called deferring, and it is a common choice for people who carry on working past State Pension age²¹.

You do not have to do anything to defer. Your pension is automatically deferred until you claim it²². You can defer for as long as you like²³. There are incentives for taking your State Pension later instead of at State Pension age⁸, and you may get more money when you do claim²⁴.

The choice at the point of claiming is usually between a higher weekly payment and a lump sum. You can postpone claiming and get a higher pension or a lump sum when you do claim²⁵.

Two limits matter. You cannot build up the extra State Pension if you get certain benefits, and deferring can also affect how much you can get in benefits²⁶. If you have already started receiving the State Pension, it is still possible to defer it, but this can only be done once²³.

There is also a rule about late claims. If you start your claim over 12 months after you reach State Pension age, you will be treated as having deferred your pension²⁷. So a long delay is not neutral: it is treated as a deferral whether or not that was your intention.

Pension Credit if you are still working

Pension Credit is the main income-related benefit for people over State Pension age, and having a job does not rule it out. You may be able to claim it if you are over State Pension age and on a low income²⁸. You can get it even if you have other income, savings or own your own home²⁹.

Earnings from employment and self-employment count as income when Pension Credit is worked out, alongside your State Pension, other pensions and most social security benefits such as Carer's Allowance³⁰. So a salary does not disqualify you, but it does reduce what you get.

If your income is higher, you might still be eligible if you have a disability, you care for someone, you have savings or you have housing costs³⁰. You can apply up to four months before you reach State Pension age, and any time after⁷.

Deferring interacts with Pension Credit in a way that catches people out. If you claim Pension Credit or Universal Credit while you are deferring your State Pension, they will be calculated as if you were getting your State Pension entitlement, allowing a grace period³². Pension Credit treats you as having State Pension income even if you defer¹⁰. Deferring to increase your State Pension therefore does not increase your Pension Credit in the meantime.

Money you earn after State Pension age may also affect income-related benefits such as Pension Credit and Housing Benefit⁸. If you are claiming New Style Jobseeker's Allowance, your earnings and any pension payment can affect the amount you receive³³.

How claiming while working differs from private pension access

The State Pension and a private or workplace pension are governed by different rules, and the ages rarely line up.

For a personal or workplace pension, you can claim while working as long as you have reached the age agreed with your pension provider¹. That age is set by the scheme, not by the state. You may be able to draw all or some of your lump sum and pension while still working full or part-time for the same employer, depending on the scheme's rules³⁴.

The minimum age for taking most private pensions is changing. The normal minimum pension age rises from 55 to 57 on 6 April 2028, unless a protected pension age applies²³. That is a separate date from State Pension age and can fall earlier or later depending on when you were born.

There are also circumstances where a private pension can be accessed before 55, for example if you are unable to work due to ill-health³⁴. No equivalent exists for the State Pension: the earliest you can get it is State Pension age¹⁴.

A few other differences are worth knowing:

• If you stop paying into a workplace scheme, you will still get that pension when you reach the pension scheme's age³⁵.
• If you are self-employed, Class 2 National Insurance contributions entitle you to the basic State Pension, but not the additional State Pension³⁴.
• If you work and get your State Pension or a workplace pension, you can still get Statutory Sick Pay³⁶.
• You cannot claim State Pension while you are in prison³⁷.
• Moving into a care home will not affect your State Pension, but it will be counted as income when your contribution to your fees is assessed³⁸.

If you move or retire abroad, you can claim State Pension abroad if you have paid enough National Insurance contributions to qualify, and the amount might be affected by retiring or moving abroad³⁹.

Where to get help

The State Pension is administered by the Department for Work and Pensions, and claims are made through the Get your State Pension service²⁰. In Northern Ireland, the equivalent service is run through nidirect⁴⁰.

Free, impartial guidance on the State Pension and your options at retirement is available from Pension Wise, the government's guidance service¹³. MoneyHelper offers free guidance on benefits, including what you can claim as a carer¹⁶. If you are over State Pension age and on a low income, Independent Age and Turn2us both publish free guidance on Pension Credit and working later in life²⁸.

If you are unsure whether deferring, claiming or a mix suits your circumstances, that is a decision about your own income and tax position, and free guidance services can explain the rules without recommending a course of action.