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You don't have to start receiving the state pension when you reach state pension age – you can choose to delay payments for as long as you want.
Around 42,000 people deferred their state pension payments in 2023-24, according to a figures obtained from the Department for Work and Pensions by Royal London.
Doing so can boost the amount you get from your state pension when you do start taking it.
But it will take years for you to be better off overall than if you had started receiving your state pension straight away.
Under current rules, for every nine weeks that you delay taking your state pension, your payments will increase by 1%.
So for each full year you defer, you get an extra 5.8% added to your payments.
Based on the new full state pension (£241.30 a week in 2026-27), deferring for a year would give you an extra £14 a week – or around £728 a year.
This is less generous than the old state pension system. If you reached state pension age before April 2016 you could get an extra 10.4% for each year you defer, adding an extra £19.25 a week to the basic state pension of £184.90 (in 2026-27).
Under the old rules you could also opt to receive a one-off lump sum plus interest if you deferred for at least a year, instead of higher weekly payments. This option is no longer available for those reaching state pension age after April 2016.
Paul Davies, Which? pensions expert says:
It can be hard to know whether deferring the state pension will be worthwhile, as it ultimately depends on how long you end up living for.
Life expectancy at the age of 65 is 18.7 years for men (83.7) and 21.2 years for women (86.2), according to the most recent data from the Office for National Statistics.
The table below shows what your overall financial position could look like at different stages after deferring the state pension for one year.
In this scenario, you’ll need to live for at least 15 years after you start receiving payments to ‘break even’ – in other words, to end up with more money overall than if you had taken payments straight away.
So if you defer your state pension for a year and start taking it at 67, it will take you until 82 to recoup the £12,548 you missed out on in the first year.
| Years after you start claiming your deferred state pension | Your overall financial position (compared to taking your state pension straight away) |
| 1 year | -£11,803 |
| 5 years | -£8,625 |
| 10 years | -£4,188 |
| 15 years | +£833 |
| 20 years | +£6,613 |
Figures are based on the full new state pension in 2026-27 (£12,548) and assume the state pension increases by 2.5% every year (the minimum increase under both current triple lock guarantee and amended lock coming into place in 2030).
You can defer claiming for as long as you like. The minimum deferral period is nine weeks.
If you've already started receiving the state pension, it is still possible to defer it, but this can only be done once.
Yes, income from the state pension – including deferred payments – is taxable at your usual income tax rate.
There is a potential tax advantage to deferring your state pension: if you’re still working and the combination of these earnings plus the state pension would push you into a higher tax bracket, you might decide to wait until you stop working to take your payments, so that these will be taxed at a lower rate.
However, you also need to consider whether the increase in your payments by deferring your state pension could push you into a higher tax bracket when you start claiming it in the future.
And deferring your state pension could disqualify you from an income tax exemption, if its your only source of income.
From April 2027, the full annual state pension amount will sit above the the personal income tax allowance. The government has confirmed that pensioners whose only income is the state pension won't pay income tax, but only if they receive the full new or basic state pension 'without any increments'.
While the exact details of how the tax waiver will work haven't been spelt out yet, it's likely that those who've deferred the state pension will be excluded.
Whether you’re unsure if you have enough to retire, or are already accessing your savings, our money guidance service can talk you through your options. Which? Money members get unlimited access to them via phone.
Find out moreIf you’re receiving any benefits, such as carer’s allowance or pension credit, you won’t be able to increase your state pension by deferring it.
If you're receiving extra state pension as a result of having deferred it, bear in mind that this could reduce the amount you get from certain benefits because the extra state pension will increase your income.
Whether deferring the state pension is worthwhile will depend on how long you expect to live and your income. Here's what you need to bear in mind.
Potential benefits:
Potential downsides:
You don’t automatically receive the state pension when you reach state pension age – you have to make a claim.
If you do nothing, your state pension is automatically treated as deferred.
Around two months before you reach state pension age, you should receive a letter setting out your options and explaining what to do. The letter will include an invitation code that you’ll need to use in the application.
To start getting the money, you can apply online at gov.uk using the invitation code, your marriage details and your bank or building society information. You can also contact the Pension Service on 0800 731 7898 to initiate your claim.