The new State Pension
How to claim
You will not get your new State Pension automatically - you have to claim it.
You鈥檒l need:
- the date of your most recent marriage, civil partnership or divorce
- the dates of any time spent living or working abroad
- your bank or building society details
- any social security numbers that you have for foreign state pension schemes
If you鈥檙e applying online, you鈥檒l also need the invitation code from the letter about getting your State Pension.
If you have not received an invitation letter but you are within 3 months of reaching your State Pension age, you can .
How to claim is different if you or if you claim from abroad, including the Channel Islands.
Other ways to apply
Claim by phone
If you鈥檒l reach State Pension age in the next 4 months, you can phone the Pension Service to claim.
Claim by post
You need to phone the Pension Service to get a State Pension claim form posted to you.
Send your completed form to:
Freepost DWP Pensions Service 3
Do not write anything except the freepost address on the envelope. You do not need a postcode or a stamp.
After you apply
You must tell the Pension Service if your circumstances change.
If you want to keep working
You can claim your new State Pension even if you carry on working. However, you can delay (defer) claiming your state pension to increase the amount you get.
If you also want to claim a state pension from another country
When you apply, you鈥檒l be asked if you鈥檝e lived or worked abroad. You鈥檒l be sent a claim form if you lived or worked in:
- a European Economic Area (EEA) country
- Switzerland
The International Pension Centre will send your claim to state pension schemes in the countries you鈥檝e lived or worked in. The schemes will contact you if you鈥檙e eligible. You do not need to make separate claims to them.
If you want to claim state pensions from any other countries, contact the pension authority in the last country you lived or worked in.
Contact the International Pension Centre if you need help with your claim.
Claiming an Isle of Man pension
If you鈥檙e eligible for a state pension from the Isle of Man, it will be separate to your UK new State Pension.
Find out . You鈥檒l get one payment for your UK pension and a separate payment for your Isle of Man pension.
You cannot defer an Isle of Man pension after 6 April 2016.