How To Check Your UK State Pension Forecast Online (2026 Walkthrough)

You worked for 40-odd years. You paid National Insurance out of every paycheque. Now you want to know, simply: how much State Pension am I actually going to get?

The good news is the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) built a free online service that answers exactly that question, right down to the penny, for anyone under State Pension age. It is called Check your State Pension forecast, it lives on gov.uk, and most people can use it in under ten minutes once you know what you need.

This April 2026 walkthrough takes you through it step by step — including the new GOV.UK One Login system that is gradually replacing Government Gateway — and, crucially, explains what to do if the forecast shows less than you expected.

What The Service Does

The State Pension forecast tells you:

1. The maximum State Pension you could get, based on your current National Insurance (NI) record.
2. The State Pension you will get if you stop contributing today.
3. Your State Pension age — the date you can start claiming.
4. Your NI record year-by-year, highlighting any gap years.
5. Whether you can top up gaps by paying voluntary Class 3 (or Class 2, if self-employed) contributions.

It does not tell you when to claim — you can defer claiming past your State Pension age for a (modest) uplift. That is a separate decision we will cover in a follow-up piece.

What You Need Before You Start

1. A working email address.
2. Your National Insurance number. It will be on old payslips, P60s, or your NI card. If you genuinely cannot find it, request one at gov.uk/lost-national-insurance-number.
3. A UK passport (valid within the last 10 years) OR a recent P60 OR payslip, OR information from a tax credit claim, OR details from your self-assessment return. You need at least one to prove identity.
4. A mobile phone that can receive text messages and install an app for the GOV.UK One Login verification.
5. Your current postal address (the one HMRC has on file).

GOV.UK One Login vs. Government Gateway. HMRC is gradually migrating users from the old Government Gateway sign-in to a new unified service called GOV.UK One Login. As of April 2026, both still work for State Pension forecast — the service will offer you whichever is linked to your account. If you have never signed in before, you will probably be steered toward One Login.

Step 1: Go To The Right Page

Open your browser and type exactly: gov.uk/check-state-pension

That redirects to the official service. Do not use search engine ads at the top of the Google results — those are frequently spoofed by lookalike sites asking for payment to do something the real service does for free. The real gov.uk service is always free.

Click the green "Start now" button.

Step 2: Sign In Or Create An Account

You will be asked to sign in with either Government Gateway or GOV.UK One Login.

If you already have Government Gateway (most people who have used HMRC online services): enter your User ID and password and use your usual second factor (text code or authenticator app).

If you have GOV.UK One Login: enter your email and password, then approve the sign-in with your authenticator app or text code.

If you have neither: click "Create a GOV.UK One Login". You will:

1. Provide an email and set a strong password.
2. Set up two-step verification (text, call, or authenticator app).
3. Prove your identity by scanning your passport or driving licence with a smartphone, or by answering questions from your credit file, or by using a GOV.UK ID Check app.

The identity check typically takes 5–10 minutes. If you get stuck on the phone-based ID check, the service will fall back to letter-by-post — which adds a week but always works.

Step 3: Read Your Forecast

Once signed in you land on the forecast page. You will see three key figures:

1. Forecast based on your NI record to 5 April [latest year]. This is what you would get if you stopped paying NI right now.
2. Forecast if you contribute until State Pension age. This is what you will likely receive if you keep working or topping up to your State Pension age.
3. Maximum possible State Pension from this forecast.

As of April 2026, the full new State Pension is approximately £230.25 per week (about £11,973 per year) following the triple-lock uplift that took effect on 6 April 2026. The triple lock means the State Pension rises each April by the highest of: average earnings growth, CPI inflation, or 2.5%. For 2026, the increase was applied using the earnings figure.

Important. The weekly figure is indicative based on DWP's published 2026 rates. Always check your actual forecast on the page — yours depends on your NI record and whether you fall under the old "basic" State Pension rules (reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016) or the new State Pension (reached after that date).

Step 4: Look At Your NI Record

Click "View your National Insurance record". This shows every tax year and whether it counts as a "qualifying year". You need:

• 35 qualifying years for the full new State Pension.
• At least 10 qualifying years to get any new State Pension at all.

A year is qualifying if you either worked and paid Class 1 NI, paid Class 2 (self-employed), received NI credits (carer, Child Benefit for a child under 12, unemployment), or paid voluntary Class 3 contributions.

Gaps show up labelled "Year is not full" with the amount you could pay to fill it.

Step 5: Decide If Topping Up Is Worth It

This is where the big money decision often lives. Each qualifying year you buy typically adds about £6.58 per week (around £342/year) to your State Pension, for life. The voluntary Class 3 contribution rate for 2025/26 is £17.75/week (around £923 for a full year).

Quick payback math: £923 to buy a year that pays £342/year → breaks even in just under three years of receiving State Pension. Anyone who expects to live 3+ years past State Pension age is usually ahead.

Special 2026 deadline note: HMRC extended the deadline to buy voluntary NI contributions for gap years going back to April 2006 through 5 April 2025. After that date, the standard six-year window resumed. If you missed it, most people can still top up gaps from the last six tax years.

If you are thinking of topping up a specific year, call the Future Pension Centre first on 0800 731 0175 (England, Scotland, Wales) — they will confirm whether topping up a specific year actually increases your forecast. Sometimes it does not (e.g., if you are already at the maximum from post-2016 years).

Step 6: Save Or Print Your Forecast

Before logging out, click "Print forecast" or save it as a PDF. Keep it with your other retirement records. The page also shows the date your State Pension age starts — useful for planning when to stop work or to bridge with private pension drawdown.

Common Things That Go Wrong

Based on reader mail I get, the top snags:

• "It says I have only X qualifying years but I have worked more." Time abroad, years on carer's allowance without claiming credits, or HMRC data errors all cause this. Call Future Pension Centre at 0800 731 0175.
• "I can't get past the identity check." Fall back to the post option — a letter with a verification code arrives in about 7 working days.
• "The figure looks low." Double-check whether you reached State Pension age before or after 6 April 2016. Old basic State Pension is calculated very differently from new State Pension.

Watch Out For State Pension Scams

A small but ugly industry preys on older UK residents around pensions. Watch for:

• "HMRC refund" texts or emails. HMRC does not issue unsolicited refunds by text. See our guide on how to spot scam emails.
• "Pension release" cold calls promising to unlock your pot early. A cold call about pensions has been illegal in the UK since 2019 — if you get one, it is a scam.
• Fake gov.uk lookalikes charging you a "processing fee" for a service that is always free on gov.uk. Check the URL: real service is gov.uk/check-state-pension.
• "Review your pension" cold-callers from unregulated firms. Always check the Financial Conduct Authority register at fca.org.uk before engaging.

If anything feels off, hang up. Report pension scams to Action Fraud at actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.

Final Word

Once a year, spend the ten minutes to check your forecast — especially in the three to five years before State Pension age. Small NI gaps, filled deliberately, add up to real lifetime income. Do not let them sit there because the site intimidated you. Always verify current rates and rules at gov.uk/check-state-pension before acting.

Related reading on techfor60s:

• UK Pension Credit 2026: Who Qualifies And How To Apply
• How To Spot Scam Emails
• AARP Fraud Watch Resources For Seniors
• Best Password Managers For Seniors 2026
• Claiming Social Security At 62, 67, Or 70 (US counterpart)
• Category: How-To Guides

Reviewed by Eleanor Shaw — techfor60s editorial desk, last verified 2026-04-18.