3 ways to make the most of your state pension

22Dec
2016

Murray McEwan / 0 Comments /

Here are three things you can do to boost your State Pension:

If you have already retired (before April 2016) you can boost your state pension income by making a lump sum investment known as the “State Pension top up”. There is only a short window in which to do so (by April 2017) but for those who are eligible it can be a good deal and gets cheaper the older you are (probably better than buying an annuity). Visit this page for more information: https://www.gov.uk/statepensiontopup
If you have reached state pension age but don’t need to draw your pension straight away (perhaps you are not yet retired), you can push back the date at which you take it. This will have the effect of increasing the income when you do start. Most people are eligible for this option. If you are already in receipt of your pension then you can’t stop this. https://www.gov.uk/deferring-state-pension
If you haven’t retired yet and you haven’t made the maximum NI contributions then it can sometimes represent good value to make extra payments to try and catch up. Most people are permitted to do this. There’s a good calculator here: https://www.gov.uk/check-national-insurance-record

Do please seek our advice first if you are considering any of the above.

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