Around 453,000 older people will not get new State Pension payments during the 2026/27 financial year.Pension Credit – Could you or someone you know be eligible?

The New and Basic State Pensions increased last month for most people over 66, however, nearly half a million retirees will not receive the higher payments during the 2026/27 financial year. The annual uprating means those on the full New State Pension now receive £241.30 a week, while those on the maximum Basic State Pension will get £184.90 per week.

But there are three specific groups of people most-likely to miss out on the full State Pension payment.These include those who have not accrued enough qualifying National Insurance years, people who were ‘contracted out’ before 2016, and nearly half a million Brits who have moved abroad in retirement.

The latest figures from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) show that at the end of August 2025, there were around 1.1 million recipients of the UK State Pension living overseas.

READ MORE: New and Basic weekly State Pension payment rates in 2026READ MORE: Retirement tax checks everyone approaching State Pension age should make now

An estimated 453,000 pensioners are living in a country which does not have a reciprocal agreement with the UK Government resulting in them not receiving the annual State Pension uprating.

This is despite having paid the necessary amount of National Insurance Contributions while living and working in the UK to receive the state Pension.

Despite fierce campaigning by the ‘End Frozen Pensions’ campaign – which includes an online petition signed by thousands of supporters, a visit to Parliament by 101-year-old Second World War veteran Anne Puckridge, and persistent pleas to the UK Government to review the policy – many expats are receiving a significantly smaller State Pension than those resident in Scotland, England, Wales or Northern Ireland.

State Pension Rates 2026/27

Full New State Pension

  • Weekly: £241.30 (from £230.25)
  • Four-weekly pay period: £965.20
  • Annual amount: £12,547

Full Basic State Pension

  • Weekly: £184.90 (from £176.45)
  • Four-weekly pay period: £739.60
  • Annual amount: £9,614

Other State Pension rates

  • Category B (lower) Basic State Pension – spouse or civil Partner’s insurance: £110.75 (from £105.70)
  • Category C or D – non-contributory: £110.75 (from £105.70)

The new payment rates started on April 6.

Campaigners had hoped the appointment of former Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, as Canadian prime minister last year, would open a dialogue with the UK Government about the issue which affects over 100,000 expats resident in Canada.

The State Pension is frozen at the point of emigration for people mostly living in Commonwealth countries such as Canada and Australia. Retirees living in the USA or EU countries are eligible for the same considerations related to their State Pension had they remained in the UK.

Many of the affected pensioners (49%) are receiving £65 per week or less with an estimated 86 per cent of all expats not being told their State Pension would be frozen. Campaigners say that some pensioners are receiving as little as £20.00 a week.

John Duguid, Chair of the End Frozen Pensions Campaign, said: “The Chancellor (Rachel Reeves) found the words, and the money, to help protect pensioners from inflation at home, while offering nothing to the hundreds of thousands of British pensioners overseas whose incomes are being eroded year after year.

“Once again, we are left out of sight, out of mind and out of pocket. And the fact that most of the affected countries are members of the Commonwealth adds insult to injury. The Government appears content to grow a chasm between its pensioners residing at home and abroad.

“This is a gross injustice, made all the more outrageous as the Government’s own figures confirm that fixing this injustice would cost the Chancellor a mere £63m in the first year, a drop in the ocean of the total pension spend.”

You can find out more information about the End Frozen Pensions Campaign on their website.

Three groups not due full State Pension uprating1. Not enough National Insurance years

To qualify for the full New State Pension, most people need 35 qualifying years of National Insurance (NI) contributions or credits.

You normally need at least 10 qualifying years to receive any State Pension at all.

If you have fewer than 35 years, your State Pension is reduced proportionally. For example, someone with 30 qualifying years would receive 30/35ths of the full rate.

Gaps can happen for several reasons:

  • Time spent out of work
  • Periods of low earnings
  • Living or working abroad
  • Not claiming NI credits while caring or unemployed
  • Some forms of self-employment

Many people do not realise they have gaps until they check their State Pension forecast. This can be done online at GOV.UK.

It is possible to pay voluntary Class 3 contributions in some circumstances to fill missing years, but strict time limits apply. Full details on this and how to check your NI record can be found on GOV.UK.

2. Contracted out before 2016

People who were members of certain workplace or public sector pension schemes before April 2016 may have been ‘contracted out’ of the additional State Pension.

This meant they paid lower NI contributions at the time, with the expectation that their workplace pension would make up the difference.

When the New State Pension was introduced in 2016, everyone was given a ‘starting amount’. For many who had been contracted out, this starting figure was lower than the full new rate.

Although people could build up additional entitlement after 2016 by continuing to pay NI, some will still not reach the full £241.30 figure.

This often surprises retirees who assume they automatically qualify for the maximum payment.

3. Some people living overseas

UK State Pension rules also affect some pensioners living abroad.

While entitlement is still based on NI contributions, annual increases are not applied in certain countries that do not have a reciprocal social security agreement with the UK.

This means some expats receive a ‘frozen’ State Pension, fixed at the rate first paid when they retired abroad, rather than benefiting from the annual uprating.

Although this does not reduce entitlement below what someone has built up, it can result in overseas pensioners receiving far less than the current full rate.

How to check your State Pension payment

Anyone can check their State Pension forecast online at GOV.UK.

This shows:

  • Your current NI record
  • Whether you are on track for the full amount
  • How much you are estimated to receive
  • Whether you can improve your entitlement

Many people only discover they are short of the full rate when they request a forecast – often just a few years before retirement.

Check your State Pension age

Check your State Pension age to find out when you can retire and claim State pension using the free online tool at GOV.UK here.

This will tell you:

  • when you will reach State Pension age
  • your Pension Credit qualifying age

We have a dedicated section for the latest news on the State Pension here.

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