🪙 Pensions · DWP data

State pension & your retirement gap

What the state actually pays, what retirement actually costs, and the private pot you'd need to bridge the difference.

Full new state pension
£230.25/wk
2025-26 · £11,973/yr
Minimum lifestyle cost — single
£13,900/yr
2026 estimate
Minimum lifestyle cost — couple
£22,500/yr
2026 estimate
State pension age
66
rising to 67 by 2028

State pension by tax year

Full new state pension under the triple lock.

Tax yearWeeklyAnnual
2025-26£230.25£11,973
2024-25£221.20£11,502
2023-24£203.85£10,600

Your own entitlement depends on National Insurance record — check your forecast on gov.uk (free, takes 2 minutes).

Retirement gap calculator

How big a pot would you need on top of the state pension? Uses the common 4% sustainable-withdrawal rule of thumb.

approximate private pot needed (4% rule)
State pension covers
Annual gap

A rule of thumb, not advice — annuity rates, retirement age and inflation all shift the real number.

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