How to check your State Pension forecast on gov.uk

This guide is for anyone aged 55 and over who wants to know what State Pension they're likely to receive and whether there's anything they can still do to increase it. By the end, you'll have logged into the gov.uk tool, understood what your forecast actually means, and have a clearer sense of whether paying voluntary National Insurance contributions makes sense for your situation.

It takes around twenty minutes if you have your details to hand. Longer if you need to set up a new Government Gateway account, but even then it's a one-off job.

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Step 1: Gather what you need before you start

The tool lives behind a Government Gateway login, so you'll need a few things ready before you sit down at the screen.

If you already have a Government Gateway account (the same login used for self-assessment tax returns, for instance), you just need your email address and password. If you don't have one, you'll also need:

• Your National Insurance number (on an old payslip, your P60, or a letter from HMRC)
• A valid passport or UK photocard driving licence for identity verification
• Access to your email, because a confirmation code is sent during setup

Some people find the identity verification step a bit daunting. It's a standard security check, not unlike setting up online banking, and your details aren't stored by the app beyond what's needed to confirm who you are.

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Step 2: Go to the Check Your State Pension tool

Open a browser on your phone, tablet, or computer and go to gov.uk. In the search bar at the top of the page, type "Check your State Pension forecast" and press enter.

The first result should be the official government service page, titled something like "Check your State Pension forecast" under the GOV.UK header. Click or tap that result.

Do not use a search engine like Google to find the link directly. People occasionally land on comparison or financial advice sites that look official but aren't. Starting from gov.uk itself means you're in the right place.

On the service page, you'll see a green "Start now" button. Click it.

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Step 3: Sign in or create a Government Gateway account

You'll be taken to the Government Gateway sign-in page.

If you already have an account, enter your email address and password. A six-digit security code will be sent to your phone or email (depending on how you set up two-step verification), and you'll type that in to complete the sign-in.

If you're new to Government Gateway, select "Create sign in details." You'll be asked for your email address first. An activation link is sent immediately, so have your inbox open on another tab or on your phone. Once you've clicked that link, you set a password, then add your National Insurance number when prompted.

Keep a note of your Government Gateway user ID, which is a long string of numbers shown on screen after you register. It's easy to lose and annoying to recover.

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Step 4: Verify your identity

The identity check is a one-time step. You'll be asked to choose a document to confirm who you are. The most common options are:

• A UK passport (you'll enter the passport number and some details from the photo page)
• A UK photocard driving licence
• A recent payslip or P60 in some cases, depending on what HMRC already holds about you

On a smartphone, some identity checks use a camera scan of your document. This works reasonably well in good light. If you're using a tablet or laptop without a camera, you may need to type the details in manually instead.

Once the identity check is complete, you're taken straight to your personal forecast. You won't have to do this step again on the same device.

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Step 5: Read your forecast

This is where it gets interesting.

Your forecast page shows a few key pieces of information. At the top is your estimated State Pension amount, shown as a weekly figure and usually an annual one too. Below that, you'll see your current number of qualifying National Insurance years and a note about how many more years you could add before you reach State Pension age.

The full new State Pension in 2025/26 is £221.20 per week (GOV.UK, April 2025). If your forecast is below that, it means you either haven't reached the required 35 qualifying years yet, or there are gaps in your record for reasons like periods of self-employment, time spent abroad, or years when you weren't working or claiming benefits.

The forecast also tells you your State Pension age, which may be 66, 67, or higher depending on when you were born. The Pensions Advisory Service has a useful age checker at moneyhelper.org.uk if you want to double-check yours separately.

One thing people often miss: the tool sometimes shows two figures. One is what you'd get if you stopped working today. The other is what you'd get if you continue working or paying National Insurance until your State Pension age. Read both.

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Step 6: Check whether voluntary contributions could help

Near the bottom of your forecast page, there's usually a link or section showing your National Insurance record year by year. This breaks down which tax years are "full" (they count towards your State Pension), which are "partial" (you paid some but not enough for a full year), and which are gaps entirely.

If you have gaps and you're under State Pension age, you may be able to fill some of them with voluntary Class 3 National Insurance contributions. In 2025/26, each extra qualifying year costs £824.20 (GOV.UK).

The question is whether it's worth it. A very rough way to think about it: each qualifying year adds roughly £6.32 per week to a full new State Pension. That's around £328 a year. So a £824 payment would pay for itself in about two and a half years of claiming. If you're in reasonable health and expect to claim for a decade or more, filling gaps can make good financial sense.

That said, I'd suggest speaking to the Future Pension Centre before handing over any money. They can tell you which specific gap years are worth buying and which won't actually improve your entitlement. Some years look like gaps but won't increase your final figure; paying to fill them would be wasted.

There's also a time limit to be aware of. Normally you can only fill gaps from the past six years. However, a government extension allowing people born after 5 April 1951 (men) or 1953 (women) to fill gaps going back to 2006 was in place until April 2025. If you haven't acted on that window, check the current rules on gov.uk, as they may have been updated since this article was published.

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