UK State Pension

State Pension deferral calculator

If you delay claiming, estimate the extra pension you could receive, any one-off payment, what you give up while waiting, and how long the extra payments take to repay it.

Calculate your deferral

Which State Pension system applies?The new State Pension applies if you reached State Pension age on or after 6 April 2016: a man born on or after 6 April 1951, or a woman born on or after 6 April 1953. Otherwise choose old basic State Pension.Your weekly State PensionEditable. The default is the full 2026 to 2027 rate.Whole weeks you plan to deferHow would you take it?

Your estimate

Extra each week: £13.94
Extra each year (weekly extra × 52): £724.88
One-off payment before any interest: £0.00
Pension given up (not paid back): £12,547.60

Years for the extra pension to repay what you gave up: 17.31

The payback figure ignores future State Pension up-rating and tax. Counted from the day you start claiming, this stays close to 17.3 years under the new State Pension whatever the length of deferral, because every week adds the same one-ninth of 1%. GOV.UK's guide says it takes over 15 years for a 52-week deferral and about one more year for each further 52 weeks.

How the new State Pension increase works

Each whole week deferred earns one-ninth of 1% of your weekly rate. Section 17 of the Pensions Act 2014 means there is no increase if the total is under 1%, so fewer than 9 weeks earns nothing. The extra is paid with your regular pension for life and is up-rated each year.

You can take an extra weekly amount, a one-off payment of up to 52 weeks of arrears without interest, or both: arrears for up to 52 weeks and a weekly increase for the remaining deferral.

This calculator applies the exact statutory fraction in regulation 10. For 52 weeks that is 52 ÷ 9 = 5.777…%, or £13.94 on £241.30. GOV.UK rounds the percentage to 5.8% in its example and shows £13.99.

How the old basic State Pension works

Each whole week earns one-fifth of 1%, with at least 5 weeks needed for an increase. You can take extra weekly payments, or after deferring for at least 12 months choose a one-off lump sum. DWP adds interest at 2% above the Bank of England base rate; the calculator shows the pension given up before interest and does not guess a future rate.

Before you decide

You cannot build up extra State Pension while you or your partner receive certain benefits. GOV.UK lists Pension Credit, income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Universal Credit, Carer's Allowance, Carer Support Payment and other affected benefits. Check the full current list before relying on this estimate.
Extra State Pension is taxable and may reduce means-tested benefits.
If you live abroad outside the EEA, Switzerland or a country with the relevant UK social security agreement, the extra amount is frozen rather than increased each year.
The break-even estimate is arithmetic, not a recommendation. It ignores tax, benefit changes, up-rating, life expectancy and what you could do with the payments taken earlier.

Last verified: 2026-09-27

How this calculator works

The calculator applies the statutory weekly fractions for the new and old basic State Pension, minimum deferral periods and one-off payment rules in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.

Sources

Checked on 27 September 2026.