Husbands and wives who claim a basic state pension based on their spouse or civil partner will see a boost in their payments from April.
Your state pension entitlement is based on your National Insurance record - you need at least 30 years’ worth to get the full basic state pension, or 35 years for the new state pension.
But if you’re on the older basic state pension - or you think you can't claim it at all - it may be possible to increase your benefit through your partner.
Under the current rates, the so-called Category B payment for spouses and civil partners is worth £82.45 per week, although this is going up in April.
This amount will rise to £85, which equates to £82.45 for those who may not qualify for a basic state pension otherwise.
The full basic State Pension is £137.60 per week - meaning those who claim based on their partner get around 60% of that figure.
More than 100,000 women are thought to have been underpaid their state pension, but men may also be able to claim as well based on their wife's National Insurance contributions.
Who can claim a basic state pension through their partner
Those who are married or in a civil partnership might be able to claim a basic state pension based on their partner’s National Insurance record if:
They're not getting a basic state pension
They're not getting the full amount (£82.45 per week, rising to £85 in April)
You can only get an increase if you reached state pension age before April 6, 2016, and your spouse or civil partner reached state pension age either:
Before April 6, 2016, and they qualify for basic state pension
On or after April 6, 2016, and they have one or more qualifying years of National Insurance contributions or credits from before April 6, 2016 (even if they do not qualify for the new State Pension)
Have you had trouble claiming the state pension? Let us know: mirror.money.saving@mirror.co.uk
You can qualify for an increase, even if your spouse or civil partner has not claimed the state pension.
If your spouse or civil partner was born before April 6, 1950, then you can only get the increase if you’re a woman who is married to either:
A man
A woman who legally changed their gender from male to female during your marriage
How to apply
Most people will get the increase automatically if they’re eligible - which means in most cases, you shouldn’t need to apply.
However, there are some cases where you’ll need to put in an application.
You’ll need to contact the Pension Service to get the increase if you’re a married woman and:
Your spouse claimed their state pension before 17 March 2008
You reached state pension age before your spouse
You’ll also need to contact the Pension Service if your spouse or civil partner reached state pension age but has not claimed their state pension yet.
