Can You Get a State Pension If You’ve Never Worked?

If you’ve never had a paid job—or only worked for a short time—you might be wondering where that leaves you when it comes to the State Pension. It’s a perfectly valid concern, especially when the State Pension forms the main retirement income for so many people in the UK.

The good news is that not working doesn’t always mean missing out. Whether you were caring for someone, raising children, living abroad, or managing a long-term health issue, there may still be ways for you to qualify for support in later life. Let’s take a closer look.

How the State Pension Works

At the moment, the full new State Pension is £221.20 per week, which comes to just over £11,500 a year. This amount is available to those who have 35 full years of National Insurance contributions or credits on their record.

You usually need at least 10 qualifying years to receive any State Pension at all. Payments typically begin within five weeks of your 66th birthday, although the State Pension age will gradually rise to 67 from May 2026.

No Work History? Here’s What That Means

If you’ve never worked, and haven’t paid any National Insurance through earnings, you wouldn’t normally qualify for a State Pension on your own record. However, it’s not always that simple.

Many people who haven’t worked for pay may still have been credited with National Insurance years without realising it. For example, if you were a full-time parent, a carer, or unable to work due to health problems, you may have received National Insurance credits during that time. These can help build up your record and make you eligible for a State Pension.

Even if you haven’t earned enough to qualify, you might still be able to boost your record by paying voluntary National Insurance contributions. This is often possible for gaps going back six years, although some people may be able to pay for even older years, depending on their circumstances. For instance, if you were born after April 1951 (men) or April 1953 (women), you have until April 2025 to pay for any missing contributions between 2006 and 2016.

Before doing this, it’s important to check whether making these payments would actually increase your entitlement. If you’re under State Pension age, you can speak to the Future Pension Centre. If you’re already receiving the State Pension, you can contact the Pension Service.

How Much Could You Receive?

If you don’t have the full 35 years of National Insurance on your record, the amount you receive will be reduced accordingly. For example, someone with 30 qualifying years might receive around £189 a week, and someone with 10 years would receive around £63.

These amounts can include both contributions you’ve paid and credits you’ve been given, as well as any additional years you’ve topped up voluntarily. You can check your own record and estimate your future State Pension at gov.uk.

Caring or Ill Health: Do These Count?

Yes, they can. If you haven’t worked because you were raising children, supporting someone with care needs, or living with a long-term illness or disability, there’s a good chance you may have received National Insurance credits without paying in yourself.

Certain state benefits—such as Carer’s Allowance, Maternity Allowance, or Universal Credit—may come with automatic National Insurance credits. If you’ve claimed Child Benefit for a child under 12, that may also have helped to build up your record. If you’re unsure whether you received credits in past years, you can ask about applying for any that are missing.

What If You Still Don’t Qualify?

If you reach State Pension age and discover that you don’t qualify for the full amount—or any of it at all—there are still options that may help top up your retirement income.

One of the most important is Pension Credit, which is designed to boost the income of older people on lower incomes. For a single person, Pension Credit can bring your weekly income up to at least £218.15, and for couples, up to £332.95. It can also give you access to other valuable benefits, including Council Tax support, free NHS dental care, help with heating bills, and a free TV licence if you’re over 75.

If you rent your home, Housing Benefit may also be available to help with your housing costs, especially if you’re getting the Guarantee Credit part of Pension Credit. In some cases, this benefit can cover your rent in full.

Another source of support for people in later life is Attendance Allowance. This is a non-means-tested benefit for those who need help with daily tasks due to illness or disability. It doesn’t require you to have a carer—you simply need to demonstrate that help would be reasonably required.

And finally, if you’re over 80 and don’t receive the full State Pension, the Over 80 Pension could give you a weekly payment of up to £101.55, depending on your circumstances.

What If You’ve Lived or Worked Abroad?

You may still qualify for some State Pension even if you spent time working outside the UK. This is most likely if you worked in an EU or EEA country, Switzerland, Gibraltar, or any country that has a reciprocal social security agreement with the UK.

In these cases, you may be able to use your overseas work history to meet the 10-year minimum for the UK State Pension, or you might receive part of your pension from the UK and another part from the other country where you worked. If this applies to you, the International Pension Centre can help you find out what you’re entitled to.

Retiring Abroad? You Can Still Receive Your State Pension

If you’ve paid enough into the UK system and then choose to retire overseas, you can still receive your State Pension in most countries. However, whether or not it increases each year depends on where you live.

Your pension will rise annually if you’re in the EEA, Switzerland, Gibraltar, or in a country that has a special agreement with the UK. In other places, your pension may remain at the level it was when you first started claiming.

Migrants Working in the UK: What to Expect

If you’ve moved to the UK to work, you’re usually required to have at least 10 qualifying years of National Insurance to be eligible for the State Pension. The good news is that those years don’t have to be consecutive, and time spent in other qualifying countries may also count.

If you’ve worked in the UK and another EEA country, for instance, you’ll generally claim your pension through the last country you lived or worked in, and that claim will include all the qualifying years from across those countries. If one of the countries you’ve worked in is outside this group, you may need to apply to each country separately. To check your eligibility, it’s best to contact the pension authority for each relevant country.

Final Thoughts

If you’ve never worked, or only worked part-time or sporadically, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re excluded from the State Pension. The system allows for a variety of life circumstances—caring, illness, parenting, and time spent abroad—all of which can contribute to your entitlement.

It’s always worth checking your National Insurance record and exploring whether voluntary contributions or credits could improve your position. And if you still don’t qualify for much, there are other forms of support that may help ensure you’re not left struggling in retirement.

You can check your current entitlement, look for missing years, and find out what to do next at gov.uk/check-state-pension, or by contacting the Future Pension Centre for more personalised guidance.