Open data · United Kingdom
UK Pension Statistics: State Pension, NI and Allowances
A compact, reusable reference table for common UK pension figures. Each row carries its source and calculation note, so a reader can inspect what the headline does and does not establish.
Key findings
These are source-linked descriptions of the current dataset, not personal advice.
- The full New State Pension is £241.30 per week in 2026/27.
- The annual full New State Pension rate is £12,547.60 per year in 2026/27.
- The published full State Pension annual rate changed by +£574.60 (+4.8%) from the preceding tax year.
- A Class 3 voluntary National Insurance year costs £962.00 per year in 2026/27.
- One qualifying year is worth an illustrative £358.50 per year at the full-rate calculation; personal entitlement can differ.
- The simple Class 3 break-even is 2.68 years of pension receipt when the extra year increases entitlement.
- The general qualifying-year thresholds are 10 minimum; 35 for the post-2016 full rate.
- The standard pension Annual Allowance is £60,000 in 2026/27.
Use these figures safely
These are published rates and transparent arithmetic, not an entitlement forecast or financial recommendation. In particular, a voluntary NI year only helps when it increases your own State Pension entitlement; check your official forecast before paying.
Citable figures
Swipe the table to see the method and source columns.
| Figure | Value | Method | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full New State Pension, 2026/27 | £241.30 per week | Published weekly full-rate amount. | DWP: The new State Pension |
| Full New State Pension, 2026/27 | £12,547.60 per year | Published annual full-rate amount. | DWP: The new State Pension |
| Full New State Pension annual change, 2025/26 to 2026/27 | +£574.60 (+4.8%) | Current published annual rate minus the previous published annual rate. | DWP: State Pension rate records |
| Class 3 voluntary National Insurance, 2026/27 | £962.00 per year | Published weekly rate of £18.50 multiplied by 52. | HMRC: Voluntary National Insurance |
| Illustrative value of one qualifying year, 2026/27 | £358.50 per year | Full published annual rate divided by 35; personal entitlement can differ. | DWP and HMRC rate records |
| Class 3 voluntary NI simple break-even, 2026/27 | 2.68 years | Annual Class 3 cost divided by the illustrative annual value of one qualifying year; not a personal recommendation. | PlainPension calculation from DWP and HMRC rates |
| National Insurance qualifying-year thresholds | 10 minimum; 35 for the post-2016 full rate | Published general thresholds; contracted-out histories can need a different calculation. | DWP: The new State Pension |
| Standard pension Annual Allowance, 2026/27 | £60,000 | Published standard allowance before individual tapering or Money Purchase Annual Allowance rules. | HMRC: Pension tax rules |
How to read this dataset
PlainPension compiles the current reference rows from Department for Work and Pensions publications and HM Revenue and Customs guidance, then keeps the source rate and the calculation separate. A figure labelled as published is a direct rate or rule. A figure labelled illustrative shows only the stated arithmetic, so it can be checked or reused without turning a general rate into a personal forecast.
The 2026/27 tax year begins on 6 April 2026. According to the Department for Work and Pensions, the full New State Pension depends on a person’s National Insurance record, and the 35-year benchmark does not settle every history. Data from HM Revenue and Customs can show a Class 3 cost, but it cannot tell whether paying that cost will improve an individual’s entitlement. That is why the download preserves the source URL and method beside every value.
Our methodology explains the review process and source hierarchy. This page is a reference and calculation aid, not regulated advice. If a decision needs personal circumstances, use the official forecast route or find an adviser through the Financial Conduct Authority register.
Method, provenance and reuse
The raw figures are stored in PlainPension’s pension-rate database with the source review date shown below. Derived rows state the calculation in full. The downloadable CSV is generated from the same rows as this table, and is released as CC0 1.0; please preserve the underlying official source links when reusing it.
Data vintage: . For the full voluntary-NI calculation and an embeddable comparison, see the UK Voluntary NI Break-even Dataset. For the latest State Pension rate change, see the rate-change report.
PlainPension's calculators and guides reflect current UK pension rules, no figure is typed in without checking the source. The table and CSV are generated from the same DWP and HMRC-backed pension-rate records; every calculated row states its arithmetic. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these figures, our data changelog of past corrections, or report an error.