State pension

Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
Produced by a Tolley Personal Tax expert
Personal Tax
Guidance

State pension

Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
Produced by a Tolley Personal Tax expert
Personal Tax
Guidance
imgtext

Introduction

The state pension is paid from the National Insurance Fund, with contributions by current taxpayers used to fund the current state pensions. There is no investment to meet the future pension needs of current taxpayers.

Reaching state pension age prior to 6 April 2016

Where the individual reached state pension age before 6 April 2016, there are three types of state pension payable in the UK:

  1. •

    category A ― the basic state pension and state second pension (S2P, formerly SERPS), based on the individual’s national insurance contribution (NIC) record

  2. •

    category B ― the basic state pension and S2P, based on the taxpayer’s spouse or civil partner’s NIC record (can be claimed if the spouse / civil partner’s record is better than their own)

  3. •

    category D ― the supplement payable to those pensioners over 80 years old irrespective of contribution record

Categories A and B are mutually exclusive; an individual cannot claim a state pension under both. However, taxpayers in receipt of a category A or B pension are entitled to a category D supplement

Continue reading the full document
To gain access to additional expert tax guidance, workflow tools, generative tax AI, and tax research, register for a free trial of Tolley+™
TAKE A FREE TRIAL NOW
Powered by Tolley+™
  • 22 Jul 2025 09:40

Home/ Tolley Tax Guidance/ Personal Tax / Main tax return

Popular Articles

Owner-Managed Businesses

Trade or hobby

Trade or hobbyInteraction of hobby farming rules and commercialityFarming has its own set of ‘hobby farming rules’, which historically have stated that a profit must be made every six years. This is known as ‘the five-year rule’, in that there can be five years of losses but there must be a profit

14 Jul 2020 13:50 | Produced by Tolley Read more Read more

Classes of NIC and who pays them

Classes of NIC and who pays themClass 1 NICClass 1 NIC is payable on earnings paid to an employed worker which derive from, or are treated as deriving from, an employed earner’s employment in the UK. There are two kinds of Class 1 NIC, primary contributions for which the employee is liable and

Read more Read more
Value Added Tax

VAT registration ― change of VAT registration details

VAT registration ― change of VAT registration detailsVAT registered persons must keep their VAT registration details up to date and notify HMRC of any changes. Failure to notify HMRC by the relevant time could result in a penalty. For guidance regarding penalties for failure to notify please see the

14 Jul 2020 13:57 | Produced by Tolley Read more Read more