Defer (delay) your State Pension

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If you reach State Pension age on or after 6 April 2016

You can get the State Pension you’ve deferred as:

  • a one-off arrears payment of up to 52 weeks (12 months)
  • increased regular payments (known as ‘extra State Pension’)
  • both a one-off arrears payment and increased regular payments

Get a one-off arrears payment

You can only claim a one-off arrears payment of up to 52 weeks.

If you defer for longer than 52 weeks, you’ll get the rest as extra State Pension.

Example

If you defer your full new State Pension for 52 weeks, you’ll get a one-off arrears payment of £11,973.

If you defer your full new State Pension for 27 weeks, you’ll get a one-off arrears payment of £6,216.75

You will not get any interest added to your one-off arrears payment.

Get increased regular payments

You can get your deferred pension as an extra payment on top of your regular payment.

You must defer claiming your State Pension for at least 9 weeks before you can claim increased regular payments.

For every 9 weeks you defer, you’ll get 1% added to your regular weekly pension payment for life.

This works out as just under 5.8% for every 52 weeks (12 months) you defer.

Example

You get £230.25 a week (the full new State Pension).

If you defer for 52 weeks, you’ll get an extra £13.35 a week (5.8% of £230.25).

If you defer for 104 weeks (2 years), you’ll get an extra £26.70 a week (11.6% of £230.25).

It will take over 15 years to get back 52 weeks of deferred full new State Pension. This time increases by around 1 year for each additional 52 weeks you defer claiming.

Get a one-off arrears payment and increased regular payments

You can get your deferred pension as both a one-off arrears payment and increased regular payments.

Example

If you defer your full new State Pension for 78 weeks (18 months), you can backdate your claim by 12 months and get a one-off arrears payment of £11,973. 

For the additional 26 weeks deferred you’ll get an extra State Pension payment of £6.65 per week (2.89% of £230.25).

Claim your deferred State Pension

Claim a deferred new State Pension.

There’s a different way to claim if:

Get help

Contact the Pension Service if you need help.

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This page is Part of Plan your retirement income: step by step

  1. Step 1 Check when you can retire

    1. Check what age you can get your State Pension
    2. Find out about working after you reach State Pension age
    3. Find out if you can retire early with your workplace or personal pension

  2. and Check how much pension you could get

    1. Find out how much State Pension you could get (your forecast)

    You may also be paying into a:

    1. Find out if you’ll pay tax on your pension
    2. Find contact details for a lost pension

  3. Step 2 Increase your pension

    You might be able to increase the amount you get if you delay your pension.

    1. Find out about delaying your pension

    You might be able to pay voluntary contributions to fill in gaps in your National Insurance record (such as, from when you were not working or claiming benefits).

    1. Check if you can pay voluntary National Insurance contributions

    For advice about increasing your workplace or private pension, speak to a financial adviser.

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