The basic State Pension
Increasing or inheriting State Pension from your spouse or civil partner
You may be able to:
- increase your basic State Pension through your spouse or civil partner
- inherit some of your spouse or civil partner’s State Pension when they die
The additional amount you’ll get is based on your spouse’s or civil partner’s National Insurance contributions.
Increasing your basic State Pension through your spouse or civil partner
If you’re married or in a civil partnership, you might be able to get up to £101.55 per week if either:
- you’re not getting a basic State Pension
- you’re not getting the full amount (£101.55 per week)
You can only get an increase if you reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016 and your spouse or civil partner reached State Pension age either:
- before 6 April 2016, and they qualify for basic State Pension
- on or after 6 April 2016, and they have one or more qualifying years of National Insurance contributions or credits from before 6 April 2016 (even if they do not qualify for the new State Pension)
You might qualify for an increase, even if:
- your spouse or civil partner has not claimed the State Pension
- you were widowed, divorced or had your civil partnership dissolved in the last 12 months
You’ll get any Additional State Pension or Graduated Retirement Benefit, based on your own contributions, on top of the increase from your spouse or civil partner.
If your spouse or civil partner was born before 6 April 1950
You can only get the increase if you’re a woman who is married to either:
- a man
- a woman who legally changed their gender from male to female during your marriage
How to apply
Most people will get the increase automatically if they’re eligible.
You’ll need to contact the Pension Service to get the increase if you’re a married woman and:
- your spouse claimed their State Pension before 17 March 2008
- you reached State Pension age before your spouse
You’ll also need to contact the Pension service if either of the following apply:
- your spouse or civil partner reached State Pension age but has not claimed their State Pension yet
- you were widowed, divorced or had your civil partnership dissolved in the last 12 months
If you’re not getting the increase but think you qualify, contact the Pension Service.
Inheriting some of your spouse or civil partner’s State Pension when they die
If you reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016, you may be able to inherit some of your spouse or civil partner’s State Pension when they die.
Contact the Pension Service to check what you can claim.
You may be able to increase your basic State Pension by using their qualifying years if you do not already get the full amount of £169.50 a week.
You may also be able to inherit part of your spouse or civil partner’s Additional State Pension or Graduated Retirement Benefit.
If you reached State Pension on or after 6 April 2016 different rules apply to you.
You can check what inheritance you might be entitled to based on your spouse’s or civil partner’s National Insurance contributions.
If your spouse or civil partner deferred their State Pension
If your spouse or civil partner deferred their State Pension and built up an extra amount, you can usually claim the extra State Pension or get a lump sum. You must not have remarried or formed a new civil partnership.
If they deferred for less than 12 months, you can only get extra State Pension. You cannot get a lump sum.
You can only get the extra State Pension once you’ve reached State Pension age.
State Pension top up
If your spouse or civil partner topped up their State Pension (between 12 October 2015 and 5 April 2017), you may be able to inherit some or all of their top up.