Will you get £13,000 a year when you stop working? Here's how to check

It may well be decades away, but do you know how much money you will get when you stop working?

Yet one in eight people surveyed by the UK tax authority have never checked how much money they are forecast to receive.

If you're working, it is highly likely you're contributing to the state pension - paid by the government when you hit pension age in your late 60s.

the flat-rate state pension - for those who reached state pension age after April 2016 - is £241.30 a week (£12,547.60 a year)

the old basic state pension - for those who reached state pension age before April 2016 - is £184.90 a week (£9,614.80 a year)

Many people on the old basic state pension may receive a top-up called the additional state pension.

Most pensioners have other income, primarily from pension savings built up over their career.

Workers pay National Insurance (NI) contributions. In general, you need 35 years of qualifying contributions to get a full state pension.

It's possible to boost your contribution history with voluntary payments. Since April 2025, you have only been able to make payments for the previous six years.

To get a state pension, you will need to prove your identity using official photo ID.

For more general information about tax and pensions, HMRC has launched a Tax Confident website, external.

The most common reason for not checking a state pension forecast was feeling that retirement was still too far away to think about, a recent survey of 5,000 consumers by HMRC found.