If you live outside the UK, GOV.UK says you claim your UK State Pension through the International Pension Centre, either by contacting it or by sending the international claim form. Under current rules for 2026/27, you can claim once you are within four months of your State Pension age. It is not paid automatically, so you need to take action.

When to claim

GOV.UK states that you must be within four months of your State Pension age to make a claim. You can check your State Pension age and get a forecast on GOV.UK.

You do not have to claim as soon as you reach State Pension age. You may be able to defer it, and deferring can increase the weekly amount you receive later. Whether that is worthwhile depends on your health, other income and where you live, including whether annual increases are paid there.

How to make the claim

There are two ways to claim from overseas:

  • Phone the International Pension Centre on +44 (0) 191 218 7777. GOV.UK lists lines as open Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm.
  • Download the international claim form from GOV.UK, complete it and post it to the International Pension Centre at the address on the form.

The International Pension Centre also has an online enquiry form, though GOV.UK notes it is taking longer than usual to reply to online queries, and changes to personal details must be reported by phone or letter.

Have the following ready:

  • your National Insurance number
  • details of any periods you lived or worked abroad
  • your bank details
  • details of your spouse or civil partner, where relevant

If you have worked in an EEA country or a country with a social security agreement with the UK, mention it, as those periods may affect your entitlement.

Getting paid

You can have your State Pension paid into a bank in the country where you live, or a UK bank or building society account. For an overseas account you will usually need the IBAN and BIC, or the bank and branch codes and account number.

When paid to an overseas account, the amount is converted into local currency at the exchange rate at the time, and GOV.UK notes a conversion charge of 0.39% before payment. You can choose to be paid every four or 13 weeks. If your pension is less than GBP 5 a week, it is paid once a year in December.

Will it increase each year?

That depends on where you live. GOV.UK says yearly increases are only paid if you live in the European Economic Area, Switzerland, Gibraltar or a country with a social security agreement that provides for increases. The current list includes Spain, Portugal, Ireland and the USA. It does not include the UAE, Australia, Canada or New Zealand, where the State Pension is generally frozen at the rate you first receive there. If you return to live in the UK, your pension goes up to the current rate, but missed increases are not paid back.

The full new State Pension rate for 2026/27 is GBP 241.30 a week. Your own amount may be lower or higher depending on your National Insurance record and starting amount. For how the State Pension sits alongside your private and workplace pensions, see our guide to UK pension options for British expats in the UAE. If you are drawing other UK pensions abroad, our guide to drawing a UK pension abroad and NT codes may also help.

Illustrative example

Illustrative example only, not a real client.

David lives in Lisbon and his State Pension age is 67, which he reaches in June 2027. In February 2027, just under four months before, he phones the International Pension Centre, confirms his National Insurance number and the five years he worked in Germany, and gives his Portuguese bank details.

Assume his forecast shows the full rate of GBP 241.30 a week, about GBP 12,550 a year (GBP 241.30 x 52), before any change in the April 2027 uprating. He chooses payment every 13 weeks into his euro account, so each payment would be about GBP 3,137 (GBP 241.30 x 13) before the 0.39% conversion charge and exchange rate. As he lives in Portugal, his pension would normally rise each year in line with UK increases. How it is taxed would depend on Portuguese rules and the UK and Portugal tax treaty.

Common mistakes

  • Waiting for the pension to start automatically.
  • Trying to claim more than four months before State Pension age.
  • Not telling the International Pension Centre when you move to another country.
  • Forgetting to mention years worked in other countries that may affect entitlement.

Sources and further reading

A regulated financial adviser can help. Get in touch for a free introduction.

Last reviewed: October 2026. Tax year: 2026/27. Jurisdictions covered: UK. Rates, legislation and guidance change, so recheck before relying on this. Rules can differ between England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland; tax residence is fact-specific; treaty outcomes depend on residence, domicile or nationality provisions; examples are simplified and omit reliefs, costs, exchange rates and anti-avoidance rules. This is general information, not financial, tax or legal advice. Take advice in the relevant country before acting.