What is Additional State Pension? How much could I get? Can I inherit it from my later partner? How much could I inherit? You may receive the State Pension. In fact, you could get either the basic or new scheme. If this is the case, you could be eligible to receive this benefit. Your Benefits will tell you everything you need to know about Additional State Pension.
What is Additional State Pension?
Additional State Pension is extra money you could get with your basic State Pension. That is, if you are a woman born prior to 6 April 1953, or a man born prior to 6 April 1951.
If you are eligible to receive this, you should get your extra payments automatically. Indeed, this is unless you opted out of receiving it. You receive Additional State Pension along with your basic State Pension.
You may need your national insurance number or national insurance contributions, especially for your state second pension (s2p). This is true for working life, additional pension, to include personal pay national insurance. Additionally, a married woman may get tax relief every tax year. Personal pensions and private pension can be contracted out of the additional state pension.
Am I eligible for Additional State Pension?
As said in the first paragraph, your eligibility for this benefit depends on the type of State Pension that you receive. Indeed, if you get the new State Pension, you may only receive these extra payments if you inherit it.
| Version of State Pension you will receive depending on your gender and date of birth in 2022 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | Gender | Version of the scheme |
| Before 6 April 1951 | Men | Basic scheme |
| On or after 6 April 1951 | Men | New scheme |
| Before 6 April 1953 | Women | Basic scheme |
| On or after 6 April 1953 | Women | New scheme |
If you reached State Pension age prior to 6 April 2016, you then likely receive the basic State Pension. Then, you do not have to apply for Additional State Pension. In fact, if you are eligible, you will get this automatically. This is unless you opted out (‘contracted out’).
You may get divorced. Then, or if you separate from your legal partner in another way, the court may decide that you have to share your Additional State Pension. Then, you will need to complete form BR20 to give necessary details about your Additional State Pension.
Inheriting Additional State Pension: how does it work?
You may be able to receive Additional State Pension by inheriting it. If you get new State Pension, this is the only way that you can get Additional State Pension. In order to know how much you can get and how you can get it you can notify the Pension Service. Indeed, you may phone them on 0800 731 0469.
You cannot inherit all of the State Second Pension from your late partner. Instead, you may inherit up to 50% of it.
How much State Pension top up and SERPS you can inherit is reliant on exactly when your partner or spouse passed away. Indeed, they may have died prior to 6 October 2002. If that is the case, you can inherit a maximum of 100% of the SERPS pension they received.
Your spouse may have topped up their State Pension for a maximum of 90 days prior to their death. Then, their estate should have received the top up, with additional payments deducted from it. In other word, you will then not be able to receive the top up with your inherited Additional State Pension.
Once you reach State Pension age, you will receive any Additional State Pension that you are able to inherit with your State Pension. Call the Pension Service to know how to claim this.
What if my situation is different?
You could receive Additional State Pension prior to reaching State Pension age. Additionally, you could receive Widowed Parent’s Allowance. However, if you stop getting this benefit, you will no longer receive Additional State Pension.
You may have been older than 45 years old when getting Widowed Parent’s Allowance. In this case, you will receive Additional State Pension again once you turn State Pension age.
You may already get Additional State Pension. Then, note that you may not receive more than £185.90 weekly of this or State Pension top up.
Additionally, you may have been State Pension age prior to 6 April 2010. Then, you could not be able to inherit Additional State Pension. Indeed, this is the case if they passed away after you were State Pension age, but before they were State Pension age.
However, you may have been State Pension age on 6 April 2016 or later. Then, you could inherit their Additional State Pension. This is the case if one of the following two applies:
- The civil partnership or married began on 6 April 2016 or later;
- They passed away on 6 April 2016 or later, and were (or would have been) State Pension age on the same date or later.
What if my spouse or partner was a woman?
Your spouse may have been a woman. Then, if she was born on 6 July 1950 and later, you can receive a maximum of 50%. If she was born between 6 October 1948 and 5 July 1950, you may receive up to 60%. For a date of birth between 6 October 1946 and 5 October 1948, you may get up to 70%.
What if my spouse or partner was a man?
Your spouse may have been a man. If he was born on 6 October 1945 or later, you can receive a maximum of 50%. If he was born between 6 October 1943 and 5 October 1945, you may receive up to 60%. However, if their date of birth was between 6 October 1941 and 5 October 1943, you could get up to 70%.
How much Additional State Pension can I get?
There is no set amount that you can receive with these extra payments. In fact, the amount you receive depends on a couple of factors:
- If your basic State Pension was topped up, which could only have occurred between 12 October 2015 and 5 April 2017, or not;
- If you opted out (‘contracted out’) of this extra amount or not;
- How much you receive in income;
- The number of qualifying years of National Insurance that you have (in other words, the number of years during which you paid contributions).
There are 3 schemes that make up the Additional State Pension. Indeed, what you contributed for depends on the length of time for which you worked, as well as if you decided to top up your State Pension. The 3 schemes are as follows:
- State Earnings-Related Pension Scheme (SERPS) (you contributed if you were employed between 1978 and 2002);
- Second State Pension (you received certain benefits or were employed between 2002 and 2016);
- State Pension top up (you opted in when you became State Pension age, which had to be prior to 6 April 2016) (this lasted from 12 October 2015 until 5 April 2017).
How can I claim Additional State Pension?
You do not have to claim Additional State Pension. If you qualify and receive basic State Pension, you will get the extra payments automatically. Indeed, you will get it as soon as you make your State Pension claim.
After this, you will be contacted by the Pension Service. In fact, they will tell you in writing the amount of money that you will be getting.
What does ‘contracted-out’ mean?
It’s possible that your employer’s pension scheme was contracted-out. In this case, you will not be able to receive Additional State Pension. To know if this is the case, you can ask then. Furthermore, it is not possible to contract out after 6 April 2016.
You could have been part of a contracted-out pension scheme. Then, if you adhered to this type of workplace pension, you did not contribute for Additional State Pension. However, if you were on a low income, or received a low wage, you could be eligible for the Second State Pension.
Typically, in a contracted out pension offers an amount of extra pension equal to or superior to Additional State Pension. As such, it’s often advantageous to stay in your workplace pension, even if it is contracted out.
You can know if your pension scheme was contracted out. Indeed, to do this, you can ask your pension provider, or see it on old payslips. However, if you do not know the contact information of your pension provider, you may use the Pension Tracing Service.
