This guide is for internationals who have recently moved to the United Kingdom and want to understand how the State Pension connects to their National Insurance record. After reading it, you will know what counts as a qualifying year, how to check your record online or on paper, and how the official service shows whether gaps can be filled.
- Which State Pension the rules cover
- How qualifying years work
- Checking your record online
- Printed statements and other routes
- Gaps and voluntary contributions
- Moving abroad and your partner’s record
- FAQ
Which State Pension the rules cover
GOV.UK’s guide to the new State Pension says you can claim it when you reach State Pension age if you are a man born on or after 6 April 1951 or a woman born on or after 6 April 1953. If you were born before those dates, these rules do not apply. Instead, you get the basic State Pension, and you may also get Additional State Pension.
This guide covers the new State Pension. The official page does not give the State Pension age or the weekly amount, so this guide does not give them either. The page points you to your personal State Pension forecast instead, which shows what you might get when you reach State Pension age. The GOV.UK guide is also available in Welsh (Cymraeg) and in an easy read format.
How qualifying years work
You need 10 qualifying years on your National Insurance record to get any new State Pension. A qualifying year is one in which you were:
- working and making National Insurance contributions
- getting National Insurance credits, for example because you were unemployed, ill, or a parent or carer
- paying voluntary National Insurance contributions
The number of qualifying years on your record affects how much State Pension you get. The official page does not say how many years you need for the full amount. This is one reason the forecast matters: it is based on your own record, not on a general figure.
The page also says you might qualify if you have lived or worked abroad, or if you paid reduced rate National Insurance for married women. It does not explain how years spent in another country are counted, so this guide does not try to. For a newcomer, the practical point is that the official pages covered here leave the treatment of years abroad to separate guidance.
Checking your record online
HMRC’s online service to check your National Insurance record shows:
- what you have paid, up to the start of the current tax year (6 April 2026)
- any National Insurance credits you have received
- whether gaps in contributions or credits mean some years do not count towards your State Pension
- whether you would benefit from paying voluntary contributions to fill any gaps
- how your State Pension forecast would change if you paid voluntary contributions
- whether you can pay voluntary contributions online and how much this would cost
You need to sign in to use the service. If you do not already have sign in details, you can create them. When you sign in, the service tells you if you need to prove your identity. HMRC says this keeps your details safe and normally involves photo ID such as a passport or driving licence. The service is also available in Welsh.
The record only runs to the start of the current tax year, so contributions made since 6 April 2026 will not appear yet. If you started working in the UK recently, your record may show little or nothing so far.
Printed statements and other routes
You can also request a printed National Insurance statement:
- online, if you live in the UK, using your National Insurance number
- online or by post, if you live abroad
- by phone
You need to say which years the statement should cover. You cannot request a statement for the current or the previous tax year.
You can also write to HMRC at: PT Operations North East England, HM Revenue and Customs, BX9 1AN.
Isle of Man contributions. If you reach State Pension age after 5 April 2016, your record will not show National Insurance contributions paid in the Isle of Man. To find out how much you paid there, email the Isle of Man National Insurance office at nationalinsurance.itd@gov.im. You can also write to National Insurance contributions, Income Tax Division, Government Office, Bucks Road, Douglas, Isle of Man, IM1 3TX.
Gaps and voluntary contributions
A gap is a year in which your contributions or credits were not enough for it to count as a qualifying year. The online record shows you which years these are. As listed above, a year can become qualifying through contributions from work, through credits, or through voluntary contributions.
The online service is the main tool for voluntary contributions. It tells you whether paying would benefit you, shows how your forecast would change, says whether you can pay online and shows the cost. The official pages this guide is based on do not give the price of voluntary contributions, any deadline for paying them, or how far back you can fill gaps. You can see the cost inside the service itself.
Whether it makes sense to fill a particular gap depends on individual circumstances, and this guide does not judge that. The official starting point is the service’s own indication of whether you would benefit.
Moving abroad and your partner’s record
You can claim the State Pension abroad if you have paid enough National Insurance contributions to qualify. How much you get might be affected if you retire or move abroad. The official page does not explain how this works or which countries it applies to.
Your new State Pension is usually based on your own National Insurance record. In some cases you might inherit State Pension, or increase it, through a spouse or civil partner. The page does not list the conditions.
These pension rules do not cover your visa, your right to live in the UK or how your immigration status affects benefits. For those questions, you can contact an immigration adviser registered with the OISC or a solicitor regulated by the SRA.
FAQ
How many qualifying years are needed to get any new State Pension?
You need 10 qualifying years on your National Insurance record to get any new State Pension. A year can qualify through working and paying contributions, through National Insurance credits, or through voluntary contributions. The number of qualifying years affects how much you get.
Can gaps in my record be filled?
The online National Insurance record shows which years are not qualifying and whether you would benefit from paying voluntary contributions. It also shows how your forecast would change, whether you can pay online and what it would cost. The official pages used here do not give the cost or a deadline.
Why do my contributions from this year not appear?
The online record shows what you have paid up to the start of the current tax year, which began on 6 April 2026. You also cannot request a printed statement for the current or the previous tax year.
Are National Insurance contributions paid in the Isle of Man included?
If you reach State Pension age after 5 April 2016, your record will not show Isle of Man contributions. To find out how much you paid, you can email the Isle of Man National Insurance office at nationalinsurance.itd@gov.im or write to the Income Tax Division in Douglas.
Official sources: gov.uk · gov.uk
Last verified: 24 October 2026 against the official pages linked above. Rules and fees change; the official page always wins.
This is general information, not legal or immigration advice. Immigration advice in the UK may only be given by advisers regulated by the OISC or by solicitors regulated by the SRA.
Sources
- gov.uk: The new State Pension, accessed 24 October 2026
- gov.uk: Check your National Insurance record, accessed 24 October 2026
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