Have you checked your state pension forecast? Here’s why you should

When was the last time you checked your state pension forecast? If the answer is ‘never’, you’re not alone.

Almost 7 million people in the UK have never checked theirs and could be missing valuable information that can help them plan for retirement.

This week is Pension Awareness Week (15–18 September), and HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) is encouraging people of all ages to check their state pension forecast.

New research from HMRC shows that 6.9 million people, 12.5% of the population,  may not know how much they’re currently on track to receive in retirement.

45 to 54-year-olds are the age group most likely to have never checked their forecast, despite this being an important time to start thinking seriously about retirement planning.

The research also found that almost a third of people have already checked their state pension through the HMRC app or online, giving them a clearer picture of what they can expect in retirement.

Why are people putting it off?

There are several reasons people delay checking their state pension:

• 26% feel retirement is still too far away to think about
• 24% worry about losing track of pension pots from previous jobs
• 20% are concerned that career breaks could affect their entitlement
• 9.5% don’t know how to check their state pension
• 5% think checking it will be too complicated
• 17% only think about their pension at major financial moments, such as the start of a new tax year

But the good news is that checking your state pension is quick and straightforward, and it could make a real difference to how you plan for your future.

Why should you check your state pension?

Know when you can claim it

The state pension age is gradually increasing to 67 and eventually 68, depending on your date of birth. Checking your forecast can help you understand when you’re likely to receive this income, so you can plan ahead.

Check for gaps in your national insurance record

You generally need 35 qualifying years of national insurance contributions to receive the full new state pension, and at least 10 qualifying years to receive any new state pension.

Your record could have gaps because of career breaks, time spent working abroad or periods when you weren’t paying national insurance. Checking now gives you the opportunity to understand whether those gaps could affect what you receive.

See whether you can top up your contributions

You may be able to make voluntary national insurance contributions to fill certain gaps in your record and potentially increase the amount of state pension you receive.

Plan your wider retirement finances

Your state pension can provide an important foundation for your retirement income. Once you know roughly how much you’re likely to receive, you can see how it fits alongside your workplace or personal pensions, savings and investments.

You can’t plan properly for retirement if you don’t know what you’re likely to have coming in.

How can you check your state pension?

It’s easy to check your forecast online using the ‘check your state pension’ service on GOV.UK or through the HMRC app.

It’s worth doing even if retirement feels a long way off. The sooner you understand your position, the more time you have to do something about it if you need to.

Don’t overlook pension credit - you could be missing out

If you’ve reached state pension age and money is tight, there could be extra support available to you.

Pension credit can top up your income if you’re on a low income. It can also open the door to other forms of support, including:

• help with rent
• council tax reductions
• support with energy bills
• a free TV licence if you’re aged 75 or over

And yet, fewer people are claiming it.

Figures from the department for work and pensions show there were 209,735 applications between February 2025 and February 2026, a 36% drop, meaning more than 117,000 fewer applications than the previous year.

Don’t assume you won’t qualify

You may be eligible for pension credit even if you own your home or have some savings, so don’t automatically assume it’s not for you.

You can make a claim for pension credit on the government website.

And if you’re not sure if you qualify, give us a ring and we’ll check for you. 

We can also help you find out if you're receiving all the benefits you're entitled to, or you can use our free benefits calculator to see if you might be eligible for additional support.